%1 http://coloradoencyclopedia.org/ en Animas Canyon Toll Road http://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/animas-canyon-toll-road <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--encyclopedia-article.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Animas Canyon Toll Road</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--uid--encyclopedia-article.html.twig x field--node--uid.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--uid.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'username' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/user/username.html.twig' --> <span lang="" about="/users/yongli" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="">yongli</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/user/username.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--created--encyclopedia-article.html.twig x field--node--created.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'time' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/time.html.twig' --> <time datetime="2020-07-06T16:38:36-06:00" title="Monday, July 6, 2020 - 16:38" class="datetime">Mon, 07/06/2020 - 16:38</time> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/time.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'addtoany_standard' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * addtoany-standard--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * addtoany-standard--node.html.twig x addtoany-standard.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'modules/contrib/addtoany/templates/addtoany-standard.html.twig' --> <span class="a2a_kit a2a_kit_size_32 addtoany_list" data-a2a-url="http://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/animas-canyon-toll-road" data-a2a-title="Animas Canyon Toll Road"><a class="a2a_dd addtoany_share" href="https://www.addtoany.com/share#url=http%3A%2F%2Fcoloradoencyclopedia.org%2Farticle%2Fanimas-canyon-toll-road&amp;title=Animas%20Canyon%20Toll%20Road"></a><a class="a2a_button_facebook"></a><a class="a2a_button_twitter"></a><a class="a2a_button_email"></a></span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'modules/contrib/addtoany/templates/addtoany-standard.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--body.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item" id="id-body"><p>The Animas Canyon Toll Road was built in 1876–78 to connect the mining town of <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/silverton-0"><strong>Silverton</strong></a> to the coal beds and agricultural produce of the Animas Valley near what is now <strong>Durango</strong>. The roughly thirty-mile wagon road operated for about five years before it was overtaken by the <strong>Denver &amp; Rio Grande Railway</strong> line through the Animas Canyon (now the <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/durango-silverton-narrow-gauge-railroad"><strong>Durango &amp; Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad</strong></a>) in 1881–82. The road was largely destroyed by the railroad, which used the road’s right-of-way, as well as by the creation of Electra Lake in the early twentieth century. In 2017 four miles of surviving road segments in the San Juan <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/us-forest-service-colorado"><strong>National Forest</strong></a> were listed on the National Register of Historic Places.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>A Southern Route to Silverton</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>Significant mining activity in the remote <a href="http://www.coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/san-juan-mountains"><strong>San Juan Mountains</strong></a> started in the early 1870s, especially after the <a href="http://www.coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/brunot-agreement"><strong>Brunot Agreement</strong></a> removed the <a href="http://www.coloradoencyclopedia.org/search/google/ute"><strong>Ute Indians</strong></a> in 1873. By that time, mining towns were already taking shape all along the upper <a href="http://www.coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/animas-river"><strong>Animas River</strong></a>. After 1874 Silverton quickly developed into the region’s political, economic, and social capital. The main problem was that Silverton and all the other San Juan mining camps were isolated from the rest of the world, their development hampered by the extreme difficulty and expense of transportation to and from the area.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Starting in 1872, the best route to the San Juans was a rough road that connected the upper Animas River mining camps to <strong>Del Norte</strong> via Stony Pass. But Silverton residents yearned for a southern route out of the mountains that would give them better access to the Animas Valley’s agriculture and coal. Before 1876 a couple of trails headed south from Silverton in that direction, but they were not suitable for wagon travel because they used steep grades to cross the flank of Sultan Mountain. Starting in 1873, several different companies tried to establish a southern route to Silverton, but they built nothing.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>The company that finally forged a southern route from Silverton was the Animas Canyon Toll Road Company, which formed in July 1876. Headed by James Wightman, the company invested about $23,000 to build a road south through the Animas Canyon to the new town of <strong>Animas City</strong>. Wightman’s team started construction on October 15, 1876, and worked quickly, completing somewhere between eight and fifteen miles of road south from Silverton before winter set in. In the spring, two crews worked from each end toward the center. By August 1877 the road was close enough to completion for traffic to start using it, and by the summer of 1878 it was fully finished.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Traveling Along the Animas River</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>The Animas Canyon Toll Road was in operation from 1877 to 1882. The Stony Pass Road to Del Norte remained the main route to the San Juans during these years—it was much shorter—but the Animas Canyon road had enough traffic to give rise to several settlements and rest stops along the way. Starting in 1880, Fred Steineger ran a daily mail and stage route along the road, charging six dollars one way. At the beginning and end of the summer season, when travel to and from Silverton was at its peak, Steineger could make up to $100 per day.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Heading south from Silverton, the road crossed Mineral Creek before entering the Animas Canyon and quickly crossing to the east side of the Animas River. The toll house at this end of the road stood just south of the bridge. From there, the road remained on the east side of the river until it reached Elk Park, where the canyon widened slightly about seven and a half miles south of Silverton. The road crossed back to the west side of the river, where it stayed until it left the canyon about thirteen miles later at Cascade Creek to avoid the canyon’s narrowest and most treacherous section. A series of switchbacks brought the road up Cascade Hill to Little Cascade Creek, where the road cut through a notch between Papose and Aspaas Lakes.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>The top of Cascade Hill was the site of one of the road’s most important and longest-lived stops. In 1874 Sam Smith had built a one-and-a-half story log house there, and it quickly developed into a station where travelers could sleep, rest their horses, and get a meal. In 1880 Smith leased his station to a Swiss couple, Theodore and Lusette Schoch. In April 1881, however, they moved to Needleton, down in the Animas Canyon, and started a post office there. Needleton soon became the main settlement in the central portion of the Animas Canyon.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>From Cascade Hill the toll road turned south (through what is now Electra Lake) toward Elbert Creek, which it followed until rejoining the Animas River. By July 1878 settlers in the area had established a small community called Rockwood. Road owner James Wightman moved there to live with his daughter and son-in-law and to have easy access to the road’s southern toll house, which stood not far south at Bakers Bridge. From there, the broad Animas Valley allowed easy access to Animas City.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Replaced by the Railroad</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>The Animas Canyon Toll Road marked an important advance in Silverton’s transportation history by providing a route that offered relatively reliable access throughout the year. But Wightman also recognized that his route had even greater potential as a railroad line to Silverton. In October 1878, Wightman organized the Baker’s Park &amp; Lower Animas Railroad Company to pursue that goal, but it never laid any track.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Instead, in late 1879 Wightman sold the Animas Canyon Toll Road to <a href="http://www.coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/william-jackson-palmer"><strong>William Jackson Palmer</strong></a>’s Denver &amp; Rio Grande Railway (D&amp;RG). Soon the D&amp;RG started to build west from the <a href="http://www.coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/san-luis-valley"><strong>San Luis Valley</strong></a>, forging a route through northern New Mexico to the Animas Valley. In 1880 the railroad established its own town, called Durango, just south of Animas City, and the first trains arrived there in July 1881. During this period the toll road remained in operation, with the D&amp;RG probably leasing it to someone (perhaps Wightman) for toll collections and maintenance.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>In August 1881, railroad workers started building north from Durango. The rail route departed from the toll road at Rockwood, where it entered the Animas Canyon early and forged a path along the canyon’s narrow stone walls to avoid the steep grades of the toll road’s Cascade Hill section. After Cascade Creek, the railroad largely followed the path already blazed by the toll road. The first train reached Silverton in July 1882 and immediately transformed the region by improving transportation, decreasing the cost of living, attracting new investments, and making large-scale mining profitable.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>The railroad made the stage stations along the toll road obsolete. The only permanent settlement that survived in the Animas Canyon was Needleton, which Theodore Schoch and his wife had established in 1881. Needleton became a water stop for the railroad, and it also developed into a small supply depot for mines in the nearby <strong>Needle Mountains</strong>. In fact, in 1896 the Cascade Hill section of the Animas Canyon Toll Road was revived as part of a new wagon road to Needleton, but activity in the area eventually dried up and the Needleton post office closed in 1910.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Today</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>Since the start of the D&amp;RG line to Silverton in 1882, most of the Animas Canyon Toll Road has disappeared. Construction of the railroad claimed the roadbed from Silverton to Cascade Creek. Three more miles of road were lost in 1904, when Electra Lake was created as a storage reservoir for the Tacoma Power Plant. Much later, in the 1980s, the construction of a residential development and golf course near Rockwood destroyed some of the southernmost sections of the toll road.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>More residential development claimed another old toll road segment in 2010, spurring efforts to preserve the few surviving parts of the road. In 2012–13 Alpine Archaeological Consultants conducted a detailed inventory of the toll road’s remaining cultural resources, and in 2014 the <a href="http://www.coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/us-forest-service-colorado"><strong>Forest Service</strong></a> stabilized part of the road’s original retaining wall near Cascade Creek. Today about four miles of the toll road still exist in sixteen short segments, primarily along Cascade Hill and just south of Electra Lake, including a one-and-a-half-mile segment now used as a hiking trail. In 2017 the surviving segments of the Animas Canyon Toll Road were listed on the National Register of Historic Places.</p>&#13; </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-author--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-author.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-author.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-author field--type-entity-reference field--label-above" id="id-field-author"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-author">Author</div> <div class='field__items'> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-author"><a href="/author/encyclopedia-staff" hreflang="und">Encyclopedia Staff</a></div> </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-keyword--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-keyword.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-keyword.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-keyword field--type-entity-reference field--label-above" id="id-field-keyword"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-keyword">Keywords</div> <div class='field__items'> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/san-juan-mountains" hreflang="en">San Juan Mountains</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/silverton" hreflang="en">Silverton</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/durango-silverton-railroad" hreflang="en">durango silverton railroad</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/animas-river" hreflang="en">Animas River</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/animas-canyon" hreflang="en">Animas Canyon</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/animas-city" hreflang="en">Animas City</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/james-wightman" hreflang="en">James Wightman</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/animas-canyon-toll-road" hreflang="en">Animas Canyon Toll Road</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/durango" hreflang="en">Durango</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/denver-rio-grande-railroad" hreflang="en">denver &amp; rio grande railroad</a></div> </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'links__node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * links--node.html.twig x links--inline.html.twig * links--node.html.twig * links.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/navigation/links--inline.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/navigation/links--inline.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-references-html--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-references-html.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-references-html.html.twig * field--text-long.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-references-html field--type-text-long field--label-above" id="id-field-references-html"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-references-html">References</div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-references-html"><p>Andrew Gulliford, “<a href="https://www.durangoherald.com/articles/6013">History at a Price</a>,” <em>Durango Herald</em>, September 11, 2009.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Allen Nossaman, <em>Many More Mountains</em>, 3 vols. (Denver: Sundance Books, 1989–98).</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Doris B. Osterwald, <em>Cinders and Smoke: A Mile by Mile Guide for the Durango &amp; Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad</em>, 8th ed. (Hugo, CO: Western Guideways, 2001).</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Lynn Robinson and Julie Coleman, “Animas Cañón Toll Road,” National Register of Historic Places Registration Form (January 23, 2017).</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Duane A. Smith, <em>Durango &amp; Silverton Narrow Gauge: A Quick History</em> (Ouray, CO: Western Reflections, 1998).</p>&#13; </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-additional-information-htm--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-additional-information-htm.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-additional-information-htm.html.twig * field--text-long.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-additional-information-htm field--type-text-long field--label-above" id="id-field-additional-information-htm"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-additional-information-htm">Additional Information</div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-additional-information-htm"><p>Rob Blair, ed., <em>The Western San Juan Mountains: Their Geology, Ecology, and Human History</em> (Niwot: University Press of Colorado, 1996).</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Cathy E. Kindquist, <em>Stony Pass: The Tumbling and Impetuous Trail</em> (Silverton, CO: San Juan County Book Company, 1987).</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Duane A. Smith, <em>Song of the Hammer and Drill: The Colorado San Juans, 1860–1914</em> (Boulder: University Press of Colorado, 2000).</p>&#13; </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> Mon, 06 Jul 2020 22:38:36 +0000 yongli 3365 at http://coloradoencyclopedia.org Silverton http://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/silverton-0 <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--encyclopedia-article.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Silverton</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: x field--node--field-article-image--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-article-image.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-article-image.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--field-article-image--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div id="carouselEncyclopediaArticle" class="carousel slide" data-bs-ride="true"> <div class="carousel-inner"> <div class="carousel-item active"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * node--2285--article-detail-image.html.twig * node--2285.html.twig x node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig * node--image.html.twig * node--article-detail-image.html.twig * node.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/content/node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-encyclopedia-image--image.html.twig * field--node--field-encyclopedia-image.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--field-encyclopedia-image.html.twig * field--image.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-encyclopedia-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image_formatter' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-formatter.html.twig' --> <a href="/image/silverton"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image_style' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-style.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image.html.twig' --> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/wide/public/Silverton%20Media%201_0.jpg?itok=fK93U2e5" width="1024" height="815" alt="" typeof="foaf:Image" class="image-style-wide" /> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-style.html.twig' --> </a> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-formatter.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="carousel-caption d-none d-md-block"> <h5><a href="/image/silverton" rel="bookmark"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--image.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Silverton</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> </a></h5> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--image.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--body.html.twig x field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--text-with-summary.html.twig' --> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Silverton was established in 1874 and quickly became the social and economic center of the surrounding mining district.</p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--text-with-summary.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/content/node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig' --> </div> <div class="carousel-item"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * node--2286--article-detail-image.html.twig * node--2286.html.twig x node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig * node--image.html.twig * node--article-detail-image.html.twig * node.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/content/node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-encyclopedia-image--image.html.twig * field--node--field-encyclopedia-image.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--field-encyclopedia-image.html.twig * field--image.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-encyclopedia-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image_formatter' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-formatter.html.twig' --> <a href="/image/bakers-park"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image_style' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-style.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image.html.twig' --> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/wide/public/Silverton-Media-2_0.jpg?itok=-uObBImu" width="1000" height="567" alt="" typeof="foaf:Image" class="image-style-wide" /> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-style.html.twig' --> </a> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-formatter.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="carousel-caption d-none d-md-block"> <h5><a href="/image/bakers-park" rel="bookmark"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--image.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Baker&#039;s Park</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> </a></h5> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--image.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--body.html.twig x field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--text-with-summary.html.twig' --> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Silverton is located in Baker's Park, where prospector Charles Baker discovered gold in 1860. The park is a valley formed where Cement Creek and Mineral Creek join the Animas River.</p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--text-with-summary.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/content/node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig' --> </div> <div class="carousel-item"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * node--2289--article-detail-image.html.twig * node--2289.html.twig x node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig * node--image.html.twig * node--article-detail-image.html.twig * node.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/content/node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-encyclopedia-image--image.html.twig * field--node--field-encyclopedia-image.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--field-encyclopedia-image.html.twig * field--image.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-encyclopedia-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image_formatter' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-formatter.html.twig' --> <a href="/image/silverton-1885"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image_style' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-style.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image.html.twig' --> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/wide/public/Silverton-Media-3_0.jpg?itok=QpLGsO3b" width="1000" height="626" alt="" typeof="foaf:Image" class="image-style-wide" /> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-style.html.twig' --> </a> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-formatter.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="carousel-caption d-none d-md-block"> <h5><a href="/image/silverton-1885" rel="bookmark"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--image.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Silverton, 1885</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> </a></h5> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--image.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--body.html.twig x field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--text-with-summary.html.twig' --> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Silverton developed slowly until the arrival of the Denver &amp; Rio Grande Railway in 1882 sparked a long boom. The town's population quickly doubled to about 2,000.</p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--text-with-summary.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/content/node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig' --> </div> <div class="carousel-item"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * node--2290--article-detail-image.html.twig * node--2290.html.twig x node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig * node--image.html.twig * node--article-detail-image.html.twig * node.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/content/node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-encyclopedia-image--image.html.twig * field--node--field-encyclopedia-image.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--field-encyclopedia-image.html.twig * field--image.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-encyclopedia-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image_formatter' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-formatter.html.twig' --> <a href="/image/durango-silverton-narrow-gauge"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image_style' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-style.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image.html.twig' --> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/wide/public/Silverton-Media-5_0.jpg?itok=uKLNVeeM" width="1000" height="667" alt="" typeof="foaf:Image" class="image-style-wide" /> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-style.html.twig' --> </a> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-formatter.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="carousel-caption d-none d-md-block"> <h5><a href="/image/durango-silverton-narrow-gauge" rel="bookmark"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--image.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Durango &amp; Silverton Narrow Gauge</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> </a></h5> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--image.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--body.html.twig x field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--text-with-summary.html.twig' --> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>After World War II, passenger traffic started to increase on the narrow gauge railroad line from Durango to Silverton. By the 1960s, the railroad was actively courting tourists, and after Silverton's last major mine closed in 1991, the railroad's steady stream of tourists helped the town survive.</p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--text-with-summary.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/content/node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig' --> </div> <div class="carousel-item"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * node--2291--article-detail-image.html.twig * node--2291.html.twig x node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig * node--image.html.twig * node--article-detail-image.html.twig * node.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/content/node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-encyclopedia-image--image.html.twig * field--node--field-encyclopedia-image.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--field-encyclopedia-image.html.twig * field--image.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-encyclopedia-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image_formatter' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-formatter.html.twig' --> <a href="/image/silverton-today"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image_style' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-style.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image.html.twig' --> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/wide/public/Silverton%20Media%206_0.jpg?itok=-9D117PQ" width="640" height="480" alt="" typeof="foaf:Image" class="image-style-wide" /> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-style.html.twig' --> </a> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-formatter.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="carousel-caption d-none d-md-block"> <h5><a href="/image/silverton-today" rel="bookmark"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--image.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Silverton Today</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> </a></h5> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--image.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--body.html.twig x field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--text-with-summary.html.twig' --> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Today Silverton has a population of about 600 and is the only town in San Juan County. It was named a National Historic Landmark in 1961 and attracts many visitors interested in its history and natural beauty.</p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--text-with-summary.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/content/node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig' --> </div> <div class="carousel-item"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * node--1723--article-detail-image.html.twig * node--1723.html.twig x node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig * node--image.html.twig * node--article-detail-image.html.twig * node.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/content/node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-encyclopedia-image--image.html.twig * field--node--field-encyclopedia-image.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--field-encyclopedia-image.html.twig * field--image.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-encyclopedia-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image_formatter' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-formatter.html.twig' --> <a href="/image/town-silverton"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image_style' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-style.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image.html.twig' --> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/wide/public/San_Juans_20160724_1273_0.jpg?itok=-NLXef9w" width="1000" height="667" alt="" typeof="foaf:Image" class="image-style-wide" /> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-style.html.twig' --> </a> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-formatter.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="carousel-caption d-none d-md-block"> <h5><a href="/image/town-silverton" rel="bookmark"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--image.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Town of Silverton</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> </a></h5> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--image.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--body.html.twig x field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--text-with-summary.html.twig' --> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>The town of Silverton,at an elevation of 9,318 feet along the <a href="/article/animas-river"><strong>Animas River</strong></a>, is the&nbsp;county seat and only incorporated town in San Juan County. It was established by prospectors&nbsp;in 1874, after the <a href="/article/brunot-agreement"><strong>Brunot Agreement</strong></a> forced Ute Indians from the area.</p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--text-with-summary.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/content/node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig' --> </div> </div> <button class="carousel-control-prev" type="button" data-bs-target="#carouselEncyclopediaArticle" data-bs-slide="prev"> <span class="carousel-control-prev-icon" aria-hidden="true"></span> <span class="visually-hidden">Previous</span> </button> <button class="carousel-control-next" type="button" data-bs-target="#carouselEncyclopediaArticle" data-bs-slide="next"> <span class="carousel-control-next-icon" aria-hidden="true"></span> <span class="visually-hidden">Next</span> </button> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--field-article-image--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--uid--encyclopedia-article.html.twig x field--node--uid.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--uid.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'username' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/user/username.html.twig' --> <span lang="" about="/users/yongli" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="">yongli</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/user/username.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--created--encyclopedia-article.html.twig x field--node--created.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'time' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/time.html.twig' --> <time datetime="2017-02-01T14:17:57-07:00" title="Wednesday, February 1, 2017 - 14:17" class="datetime">Wed, 02/01/2017 - 14:17</time> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/time.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'addtoany_standard' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * addtoany-standard--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * addtoany-standard--node.html.twig x addtoany-standard.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'modules/contrib/addtoany/templates/addtoany-standard.html.twig' --> <span class="a2a_kit a2a_kit_size_32 addtoany_list" data-a2a-url="http://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/silverton-0" data-a2a-title="Silverton"><a class="a2a_dd addtoany_share" href="https://www.addtoany.com/share#url=http%3A%2F%2Fcoloradoencyclopedia.org%2Farticle%2Fsilverton-0&amp;title=Silverton"></a><a class="a2a_button_facebook"></a><a class="a2a_button_twitter"></a><a class="a2a_button_email"></a></span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'modules/contrib/addtoany/templates/addtoany-standard.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--body.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item" id="id-body"><p>Silverton is a historic <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/precious-metal-mining-colorado"><strong>mining</strong></a> town established in 1874 in Baker’s Park in the heart of the <a href="/article/san-juan-mountains"><strong>San Juan Mountains</strong></a>. After the <strong>Denver &amp; Rio Grande Railway</strong> (now the <a href="/article/durango-silverton-narrow-gauge-railroad"><strong>Durango &amp; Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad</strong></a>) reached the town in 1882, the surrounding region experienced a mining boom that lasted until the 1910s. After World War II, tourism took hold as people visited the town for its scenery and history. Named a National Historic Landmark in 1961, Silverton now has a population of about 600 people and is the only town in <a href="/article/san-juan-county"><strong>San Juan County</strong></a>.</p> <h2>False Starts</h2> <p>Before white settlers started to arrive in the San Juan Mountains in the 1860s and 1870s, the region was occupied by Tabeguache and Weeminuche <a href="/search/google/ute"><strong>Utes</strong></a>. In the 1700s, Spanish explorers and miners occasionally ventured north from New Mexico into the rugged San Juans, leaving behind some evidence of mining and a host of Spanish place names. Fur trappers and traders started to pass through the region in the early nineteenth century, with many of them—including mountain man and Army officer <a href="/article/kit-carson"><strong>Kit Carson</strong></a>—claiming that the San Juans were full of gold and silver.</p> <p>The <a href="/article/colorado-gold-rush"><strong>Colorado Gold Rush</strong></a> of 1858–59 brought thousands of prospectors to the <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/front-range"><strong>Front Range</strong></a>. Although rumors of the San Juans’ mineral wealth abounded, initially they were not firm enough to inspire many people to make the long and arduous journey from <a href="/article/denver"><strong>Denver</strong></a>. One who did make the trip was <strong>Charles Baker</strong>, who led a small party to the <a href="/article/animas-river"><strong>Animas River</strong></a> in August 1860. Baker discovered gold in a flat valley where Cement Creek and Mineral Creek joined the Animas at an elevation of about 9,300 feet. News of the discovery reached the <strong><em>Rocky Mountain News</em></strong> in October. Baker built a toll road up the Animas River from New Mexico, established a small supply town called Animas City at the base of the mountains, and waited for prospectors to rush to Baker’s Park, as the site of the find became known.</p> <p>Several hundred people—perhaps as many as 1,000—came to Baker’s Park in 1861. They quickly found that the area did not have as much easily accessible gold as advertised. Moreover, they faced hostile Utes, a harsh climate, high elevation, and a remote location. By fall they all drained out of the mountains complaining of the “San Juan Humbug.” Lingering memories of that disappointment and four years of <a href="/article/civil-war-colorado"><strong>Civil War</strong></a> kept any other prospectors from trying their luck until the end of the decade.</p> <p>By the time prospectors started to return to the San Juans, the <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/ute-treaty-1868"><strong>Treaty of 1868</strong></a> had officially established the area as Ute land. This did little to stop whites attracted by the mountains’ mineral wealth. They explored the area in violation of the treaty, and by the early 1870s they made their way back to Baker’s Park and the upper Animas River Valley. This activity led to the 1873 <a href="/article/brunot-agreement"><strong>Brunot Agreement</strong></a>, which officially opened the San Juans to white mining and settlement.</p> <h2>Waiting for the Railroad</h2> <p>By the end of 1873, after the Brunot Agreement made claims and titles more secure, more than 4,000 claims were recorded in the mountains and valleys around Baker’s Park. Mining towns were taking shape throughout the region, including <a href="/article/animas-forks"><strong>Animas Forks</strong></a>, Eureka, and Howardsville along the upper Animas River. By 1874 Howardsville had a post office and claimed the county seat.</p> <p>Compared to some other mining camps in the area, Silverton got a relatively late start. The town took shape in Baker’s Park, where Francis Marion Snowden built the first log cabin in 1874. Silverton was officially organized that September and quickly became the preeminent town in the district. That fall it won an election to steal the county seat from Howardsville, and it also worked to attract vital new businesses such as a sawmill and a smelter. Its central location at the confluence of several streams made it a natural supply center for outlying mining camps, and it soon developed into the political, economic, and social capital of a large section of the San Juans.</p> <p>The main problem for people in Silverton and the surrounding mining camps was that it was a long and treacherous journey—at best—to the outside world. As with other mining districts throughout Colorado, the San Juans could not really be tapped until a railroad arrived to make the transportation of heavy ores relatively cheap and fast. In 1874 the district produced less than $15,000. Because of its remote location, as well as the economic depression that settled over the country for several years after the Panic of 1873, Silverton had to wait nearly a decade before the Denver &amp; Rio Grande Railway finally worked its way north into town along the Animas River.</p> <p>In the meantime, Silverton developed into a town of about 1,000 people by 1880. In contrast to other towns in the region, which tended to develop around a single main street in a narrow valley, Silverton had the space to build out a traditional street grid. Its first newspaper—the <em>La Plata Miner</em>—started in 1875, and Congregationalists built the town’s first church in 1878. In its early years, Silverton was reached primarily by a difficult route over Stony Pass after ascending the Rio Grande from <strong>Del Norte</strong>, but in 1877 a new route was forged south along the Animas River.</p> <p>In September 1880, <a href="/article/william-jackson-palmer"><strong>William Jackson Palmer</strong></a>’s Denver &amp; Rio Grande Railway established <strong>Durango</strong>, and tracks reached the new town in July 1881. Almost immediately, workers started on the final forty-five-mile stretch to Silverton, using parts of the Animas River wagon road for the railroad’s route. The first train reached Silverton on July 8, 1882. Passenger service started on July 11, and trains hauled their first ore on July 13. The railroad opened a new era in San Juan County by improving transportation, decreasing the cost of living, attracting new investments, and making large-scale mining profitable.</p> <h2>Mining Years</h2> <p>The arrival of the railroad marked the start of an extended mining boom in Silverton and the rest of San Juan County. The district’s production was only $97,000 the year the railroad arrived, but it more than quadrupled to $400,000 the next year. Silverton’s population soon doubled to 2,000. By 1885 the district’s production reached $1 million per year, and in the 1890s it hit more than $2 million. From 1882 to 1918, the San Juan mining district produced more than $65 million in ores.</p> <p>Gold had first attracted attention to the San Juans in the 1860s and 1870s, but in the 1880s and early 1890s, the district rode the wave of silver that was also lifting towns such as <a href="/article/leadville"><strong>Leadville</strong></a> and <a href="/article/aspen"><strong>Aspen</strong></a>. When the <a href="/article/panic-1893"><strong>Panic of 1893</strong></a> knocked out silver mining across Colorado, the Silverton area suffered as well. Unlike many other mining districts in Colorado, however, it was able to recover and even increase production thanks to its deep reserves of gold and other minerals.</p> <p>The town became the transportation hub of the region, with three short narrow gauge lines branching up river valleys to connect outlying mines to the Denver &amp; Rio Grande at Silverton. In 1888–89 <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/otto-mears"><strong>Otto Mears</strong></a> built the Silverton Railroad north up Mineral Creek to Red Mountain. Ten years later, the Gold King Consolidated Mines Company built the Silverton, Gladstone &amp; Northerly up Cement Creek to the <strong>Gold King Mine</strong>. Starting in the 1880s, the Silverton Northern inched up the Animas River until it reached Animas Forks in 1904.</p> <h2>From Mining to Tourism</h2> <p>Silverton’s long mining boom ended in the 1910s. Perhaps the clearest sign of a shift was the organization of the Silverton Commercial Club in 1913 to promote recreation and tourism in the region. Mining still continued in the area for most of the twentieth century, but after 1920 it was clearly in decline rather than on the rise. The narrow gauge lines branching out from Silverton began to consolidate and close, with all three gone by 1941. Outlying mining camps gradually emptied, leaving Silverton as the only town in the county.</p> <p>One of the most important new mining operations during these years was the <a href="/article/shenandoah-dives-mining-company"><strong>Shenandoah-Dives Mining Company</strong></a>, which operated mines and a <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/shenandoah-dives-mill"><strong>mill</strong></a> northeast of town along the Animas River. Starting in 1925, general manager Charles A. Chase guided the company in acquiring and consolidating old mines and claims, and in 1929 he built a new mill to process the ores. The company originally intended to produce gold and silver, but base metals such as copper, lead, and zinc helped it survive during the Great Depression and World War II. Demand for metals stopped after World War II, and the Shenandoah-Dives Mining Company shut down operations in 1953. The area’s mining production dropped to its lowest level since 1882, and the town’s population dropped below 1,000. The mill changed hands but continued to operate most years until the early 1990s.</p> <p>In the 1940s and 1950s, Hollywood studios used the Durango–Silverton railroad to film Westerns such as <em>Across the Wide Missouri</em> (1951). Passenger traffic started to increase as tourists were drawn to the line’s history and scenery. Passengers tripled from 12,000 in 1953 to 37,000 in 1962. In the mid-1960s the railroad started courting tourists more assiduously. The train started pulling straight into Silverton instead of backing in, and the rails were extended to Blair Street to deliver tourists directly into town. By the late 1970s the line carried more than 120,000 passengers per year.</p> <p>As mining declined and tourism increased, Silverton’s history became one of its most valuable resources. In 1961 Silverton and the Durango–Silverton narrow gauge line were named National Historic Landmarks, and in 1964 the San Juan County Historical Society was established.</p> <h2>Today</h2> <p>In 1991 the Sunnyside Mine closed for good, marking the end of major mining operations around Silverton. Tourism became Silverton’s main industry. The Durango &amp; Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad (as the line was renamed in 1981) became just as vital to the town’s success as it had been a century before—only now it brought in tourists instead of hauling away ores.</p> <p>Visitors were attracted to Silverton by its history and its natural environment. The San Juan County Historical Society became a leader in preserving and promoting Silverton’s many historic sites. In 1996 Sunnyside Gold donated the <a href="/article/shenandoah-dives-mill"><strong>Shenandoah-Dives Mill</strong></a> to the historical society, which reopened it as a museum. In 2000 it was named a National Historic Landmark. In 2009 the historical society took over the <em>Silverton Standard &amp; the Miner</em> to secure the future of the oldest continuously published newspaper on the <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/western-slope"><strong>Western Slope</strong></a>. The historical society also operates the <strong>Mining Heritage Center</strong> and the 1902 County Jail Museum in Silverton, and it hopes to reconstruct the Silverton Northern Railroad for tourist trips to Howardsville.</p> <p>Unfortunately, the Silverton area’s mining history continues to affect its natural environment. Old mines in the region experience <strong>acid mine drainage</strong>, in which a yellow-orange slurry of toxic metals flows into nearby water sources. In August 2015 the problem received widespread attention when Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) workers at the Gold King Mine accidentally released 3 million gallons of contaminated wastewater that turned the Animas River mustard yellow as it flowed south to Durango and beyond. The incident spurred local officials to reverse traditional opposition to federal help and request EPA Superfund site designation to help clean up the area’s abandoned mines. In September 2016 the EPA placed the Gold King Mine and forty-seven other nearby mining sites on its National Priorities List for Superfund cleanup.</p> <p>Despite the scars that mining has left on the landscape, the stunning natural beauty and ample recreation opportunities near Silverton continue to draw tourists and outdoor enthusiasts who enjoy driving, four-wheeling, cycling, hiking, kayaking, and skiing. Soon after the closure of the Sunnyside Mine, mountain runners in the region organized the <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/hardrock-hundred-endurance-run"><strong>Hardrock Hundred Endurance Run</strong></a> as a celebration of the area’s mining history. Starting and finishing in Silverton, the 100-mile run takes place annually in July and is widely regarded as one of the toughest and most scenic ultramarathons in the world.</p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-author--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-author.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-author.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-author field--type-entity-reference field--label-above" id="id-field-author"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-author">Author</div> <div class='field__items'> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-author"><a href="/author/encyclopedia-staff" hreflang="und">Encyclopedia Staff</a></div> </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-keyword--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-keyword.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-keyword.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-keyword field--type-entity-reference field--label-above" id="id-field-keyword"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-keyword">Keywords</div> <div class='field__items'> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/san-juan-mountains" hreflang="en">San Juan Mountains</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/gold-king-mine" hreflang="en">gold king mine</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/animas-river" hreflang="en">Animas River</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/san-juan-county" hreflang="en">san juan county</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/san-juan-county-historical-society" hreflang="en">San Juan County Historical Society</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/durango-silverton-railroad" hreflang="en">durango silverton railroad</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/brunot-agreement" hreflang="en">Brunot Agreement</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/shenandoah-dives-mining" hreflang="en">Shenandoah-Dives Mining</a></div> </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'links__node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * links--node.html.twig x links--inline.html.twig * links--node.html.twig * links.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/navigation/links--inline.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/navigation/links--inline.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-references-html--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-references-html.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-references-html.html.twig * field--text-long.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-references-html field--type-text-long field--label-above" id="id-field-references-html"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-references-html">References</div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-references-html"><p>Rob Blair, ed., <em>The Western San Juan Mountains: Their Geology, Ecology, and Human History</em> (Niwot: University Press of Colorado, 1996).</p> <p>Bruce Finley, <a href="https://www.denverpost.com/2016/09/07/gold-king-animas-mining-sites-disaster-declaration/">“EPA Puts Gold King Mine, Other Colorado Sites on Priority List and Pegs Acid Muck Flow at 5.4M Gallons a Day,”</a> <em>The Denver Post</em>, September 7, 2016.</p> <p>Duane A. Smith, <em>Silverton: A Quick History</em> (Fort Collins, CO: First Light, 1997).</p> <p>Duane A. Smith, <em>Song of the Hammer and Drill: The Colorado San Juans, 1860–1914</em> (Boulder: University Press of Colorado, 2000).</p> <p>Karen A. Vendl and Mark A. Vendl with the San Juan County Historical Society, <em>Mines Around Silverton</em> (Charleston, SC: Arcadia, 2015).</p> </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-additional-information-htm--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-additional-information-htm.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-additional-information-htm.html.twig * field--text-long.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-additional-information-htm field--type-text-long field--label-above" id="id-field-additional-information-htm"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-additional-information-htm">Additional Information</div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-additional-information-htm"><p>Ray Matteson and Joseph Scott Mendinghall, “Silverton Historic District,” National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form (December 10, 1975).</p> <p><a href="http://www.sanjuancountyhistoricalsociety.org/">San Juan County Historical Society</a></p> </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-4th-grade--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-4th-grade.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-4th-grade.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-4th-grade field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item" id="id-field-4th-grade"><p>Silverton is a historic mining town established in 1874. It is in Baker’s Park in the heart of the <a href="/article/san-juan-mountains"><strong>San Juan Mountains</strong></a>. The <strong>Denver &amp; Rio Grande Railway</strong> (now the <a href="/article/durango-silverton-narrow-gauge-railroad"><strong>Durango &amp; Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad</strong></a>) reached the town of Silverton in 1882. The mining boom in the area around Silverton lasted until the 1910s. After World War II, more people visited the town for its scenery and history. Silverton was named a National Historic Landmark in 1961. It now has a population of about 600 people and is the only town in <strong><a href="/article/san-juan-county">San Juan County</a>.</strong></p> <h2>False Starts</h2> <p>Before white settlers started to arrive in the San Juan Mountains in the 1860s and 1870s, the region was occupied by Tabeguache and Weeminuche <strong>Utes.</strong> In the 1700s, Spanish explorers and miners sometimes traveled north from New Mexico into the rugged San Juans. They left behind some evidence of mining and a lot of Spanish place names. Fur trappers and traders started to pass through the area in the early nineteenth century. Many of them—including mountain man and Army officer <a href="/article/kit-carson"><strong>Kit Carson</strong></a>—claiming that the San Juans were full of gold and silver.</p> <p>The <a href="/article/colorado-gold-rush"><strong>Colorado Gold Rush</strong></a> of 1858–59 brought thousands of prospectors to the Front Range. There were many rumors of the San Juans’ mineral wealth. At first they were not solid enough to inspire many people to make the long and difficult journey from <strong><a href="/article/denver">Denver</a>.</strong> One who did make the trip was <strong>Charles Baker. </strong>He led a small party to the <a href="/article/animas-river"><strong>Animas River</strong></a> in August 1860. Baker discovered gold in a flat valley where Cement Creek and Mineral Creek joined the Animas. This was at an elevation of about 9,300 feet. News of the discovery reached the <strong><em>Rocky Mountain News</em></strong> in October. Baker built a toll road up the Animas River from New Mexico. He built a small supply town called Animas City at the base of the mountains. He waited for prospectors to rush to Baker’s Park, as the site of the find became known.</p> <p>Several hundred people—perhaps as many as 1,000—came to Baker’s Park in 1861. They quickly found that the gold was not as easy to get as they had been told. Also, they faced hostile Utes, a harsh climate, high elevation, and a remote location. By fall they all left the mountains calling it the “San Juan Humbug.” That disappointment and four years of Civil War kept any other prospectors from trying their luck until the end of the decade.</p> <p>By the time prospectors started to return to the San Juans, the <strong>Treaty of 1868</strong> had officially established the area as Ute land. This did little to stop whites attracted by the mountains’ mineral wealth. They explored the area in violation of the treaty. By the early 1870s, they made their way back to Baker’s Park and the upper Animas River Valley. This activity led to the 1873<strong> <a href="/article/brunot-agreement">Brunot Agreement</a>.</strong> This officially opened the San Juans to white mining and settlement.</p> <h2>Waiting for the Railroad</h2> <p>By the end of 1873, the Brunot Agreement made claims and titles more secure. More than 4,000 claims were recorded in the mountains and valleys around Baker’s Park. Mining towns were taking shape throughout the area. This included <strong><a href="/article/animas-forks">Animas Forks</a>,</strong> Eureka, and Howardsville along the upper Animas River. By 1874 Howardsville had a post office and claimed the county seat.</p> <p>Compared to some other mining camps in the area, Silverton got a late start. The town took shape in Baker’s Park. Francis Marion Snowden built the first log cabin there in 1874. Silverton was officially formed that September. It quickly became the most important town in the district. That fall it won an election to steal the county seat from Howardsville. It also worked to attract new businesses such as a sawmill and a smelter. Silverton had a central location at the confluence of several streams. This made it a natural supply center for outlying mining camps.</p> <p>The main problem for people in Silverton and the surrounding mining camps was that it was a long and dangerous journey to the outside world. Like other mining districts throughout Colorado, the San Juans could not really be tapped until a railroad arrived. This would make the transportation of heavy ores relatively cheap and fast. In 1874 the district produced less than $15,000. Silverton was in a remote location. Also, there was an economic depression that settled over the country for several years after the Panic of 1873. These things meant Silverton had to wait nearly a decade before the Denver &amp; Rio Grande Railway finally came north into town along the Animas River.</p> <p>In the meantime, Silverton developed into a town of about 1,000 people by 1880. Other towns in the area tended to develop around a single main street in a narrow valley. Silverton, however, had the space to build out a traditional street grid. Its first newspaper—the <em>La Plata Miner</em>—was started in 1875. The Congregationalists built the town’s first church in 1878. In its early years, Silverton was reached mainly by a difficult route over Stony Pass. This was after ascending the Rio Grande from <strong>Del Norte</strong><strong>. </strong>In 1877 a new route was created south along the Animas River.</p> <p>In September 1880, <a href="http://Silverton is a historic mining town established in 1874 in Baker’s Park in the heart of the San Juan Mountains. After the Denver &amp; Rio Grande Railway (now the Durango &amp; Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad) reached the town in 1882, the surrounding region experienced a mining boom that lasted until the 1910s. After World War II, tourism took hold as people visited the town for its scenery and history. Named a National Historic Landmark in 1961, Silverton now has a population of about 600 people and is the only incorporated town in San Juan County. False Starts Before white settlers started to arrive in the San Juan Mountains in the 1860s and 1870s, the region was occupied by Tabeguache and Weeminuche Utes. In the 1700s, Spanish explorers and miners occasionally ventured north from New Mexico into the rugged San Juans, leaving behind some evidence of mining and a host of Spanish place names. Fur trappers and traders started to pass through the region in the early nineteenth century. Many of them—including mountain man and Army officer Kit Carson—claimed that the San Juans were full of gold and silver. The Colorado Gold Rush of 1858–59 brought thousands of prospectors to the Front Range. Rumors of the San Juans’ mineral wealth abounded, but they were not firm enough to inspire many people to make the long journey from Denver. One who did make the trip was Charles Baker, who led a small party to the Animas River in August 1860. Baker discovered gold in a flat valley where Cement Creek and Mineral Creek joined the Animas at an elevation of about 9,300 feet. News of the discovery reached the Rocky Mountain News in October. Baker built a toll road up the Animas River from New Mexico, established a small supply town called Animas City at the base of the mountains, and waited for prospectors to rush to Baker’s Park, as the site became known. Several hundred people, perhaps as many as 1,000, came to Baker’s Park in 1861. They quickly found that the area did not have as much gold as advertised. Moreover, they faced hostile Utes, a harsh climate, high elevation, and a remote location. By fall they all left the mountains complaining of the “San Juan Humbug.” Lingering memories of that disappointment and four years of Civil War kept other prospectors from trying their luck until the end of the decade. By the time prospectors started to return to the San Juans, the Treaty of 1868 had officially established the area as Ute land. This did little to stop whites attracted by the mountains’ reputed mineral wealth. They explored the area in violation of the treaty, and by the early 1870s, they made their way back to Baker’s Park and the upper Animas River valley. This activity led to the 1873 Brunot Agreement, which forced the Utes out of the area and officially opened the San Juans to white mining and settlement. Waiting for the Railroad By the end of 1873, after the Brunot Agreement made claims and titles more secure, more than 4,000 claims were recorded in the mountains and valleys around Baker’s Park. Unlike the earlier claims, which had been made on easily accessible deposits of placer gold, these claims were for gold and silver locked in the rocks below the mountains. Mining towns began to take shape throughout the region, such as Animas Forks, Eureka, and Howardsville along the upper Animas River. By 1874 Howardsville had a post office and claimed the La Plata County seat. Compared to some other mining camps in the area, Silverton got a relatively late start. The town took shape in Baker’s Park, where Francis Marion Snowden built the first log cabin in 1874. Silverton was officially organized that September and quickly became the preeminent town in the district. That fall it won an election to steal the county seat from Howardsville, and it also worked to attract vital new businesses such as a sawmill and a smelter. Its central location at the confluence of several streams made it a natural supply center for outlying mining camps, and it soon developed into the political, economic, and social capital of a large section of the San Juans. The main problem for people in Silverton and the surrounding mining camps was that it was a long and treacherous journey—at best—to the outside world. As with other mining districts throughout Colorado, the San Juans could not really be tapped until a railroad arrived to make the transportation of heavy ores relatively cheap and fast. In 1874, the district produced less than $15,000. Because of its remote location, as well as the economic depression that settled over the country for several years after the Panic of 1873, Silverton had to wait nearly a decade before the Denver &amp; Rio Grande Railway finally worked its way north into town along the Animas River. In the meantime, San Juan County was created in 1876, and Silverton grew to a town of about 1,000 people by 1880. In contrast to other towns in the region, which tended to develop around a single main street in a narrow valley, Silverton had the space to build out a traditional street grid. Its first newspaper—the La Plata Miner—started in 1875, and Congregationalists built the town’s first church in 1878. In its early years, Silverton was reached primarily by a difficult route over Stony Pass after ascending the Rio Grande from Del Norte, but in 1877 a new route was forged south along the Animas River. In September 1880, William Jackson Palmer’s Denver &amp; Rio Grande Railway established Durango, and tracks reached the new town in July 1881. Almost immediately, workers started on the final forty-five-mile stretch to Silverton, using parts of the Animas River wagon road for the railroad’s route. The first train reached Silverton on July 8, 1882. Passenger service started on July 11, and trains hauled their first ore on July 13. The railroad opened a new era in San Juan County by improving transportation, decreasing the cost of living, attracting new investments, and making large-scale mining profitable. Mining Years The arrival of the railroad marked the start of an extended mining boom in Silverton and the rest of San Juan County. The district’s production was only $97,000 the year the railroad arrived, but it more than quadrupled to $400,000 the next year. Silverton’s population soon doubled to 2,000. By 1885 the district’s production reached $1 million per year, and in the 1890s, it hit more than $2 million. From 1882 to 1918, the San Juan mining district produced more than $65 million in ores. Gold had first attracted attention to the San Juans in the 1860s and 1870s, but in the 1880s and early 1890s, the district rode the wave of silver that was also lifting towns such as Leadville and Aspen. When the Panic of 1893 knocked out silver mining across Colorado, the Silverton area suffered as well. Unlike many other mining districts in Colorado however, it was able to recover and even increase production thanks to its deep reserves of gold and other minerals. The town became the transportation hub of the region, with three short narrow gauge lines branching up river valleys to connect outlying mines to the Denver &amp; Rio Grande at Silverton. In 1888–89, Otto Mears built the Silverton Railroad north up Mineral Creek to Red Mountain. Ten years later, the Gold King Consolidated Mines Company built the Silverton, Gladstone &amp; Northerly up Cement Creek to the Gold King Mine. Starting in the 1880s, the Silverton Northern inched up the Animas River until it reached Animas Forks in 1904. From Mining to Tourism Silverton’s long mining boom ended in the 1910s. Perhaps the clearest sign of a shift was the organization of the Silverton Commercial Club in 1913 to promote recreation and tourism in the region. Mining still continued in the area for most of the twentieth century, but after 1920 it was clearly in decline rather than on the rise. The narrow gauge lines branching out from Silverton began to consolidate and close, with all three gone by 1941. Outlying mining camps gradually emptied, leaving Silverton as the only town in the county. One of the most important new mining operations during these years was the Shenandoah-Dives Mining Company, which operated mines and a mill northeast of town along the Animas River. Starting in 1925, general manager Charles A. Chase guided the company in acquiring and consolidating old mines and claims, and in 1929 he built a new mill to process the ores. The company originally intended to produce gold and silver, but base metals such as copper, lead, and zinc helped it survive during the Great Depression and World War II. Demand for metals stopped after World War II, and the Shenandoah-Dives Mining Company shut down operations in 1953. The area’s mining production dropped to its lowest level since 1882, and the town’s population dropped below 1,000. The mill changed hands but continued to operate most years until the early 1990s. In the 1940s and 1950s, Hollywood studios used the Durango–Silverton railroad to film Westerns such as Across the Wide Missouri (1951). Passenger traffic started to increase as tourists were drawn to the line’s history and scenery. Passengers tripled from 12,000 in 1953 to 37,000 in 1962. In the mid-1960s the railroad started courting tourists more actively. The train started pulling straight into Silverton instead of backing in, and the rails were extended to Blair Street to deliver tourists directly into town. By the late 1970s, the line carried more than 120,000 passengers per year. As mining declined and tourism increased, Silverton’s history became one of its most valuable resources. In 1961 Silverton and the Durango–Silverton narrow gauge line were named National Historic Landmarks, and in 1964 the San Juan County Historical Society was established. Today In 1991 the Sunnyside Mine closed for good, marking the end of major mining operations around Silverton. Tourism became Silverton’s main industry. The Durango &amp; Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad (as the line was renamed in 1981), became just as vital to the town’s success as it had been a century before—only now it brought in tourists instead of hauling away ores. Visitors were attracted to Silverton by its history and its natural environment. The San Juan County Historical Society became a leader in preserving and promoting Silverton’s many historic sites. In 1996 Sunnyside Gold donated the Shenandoah-Dives Mill to the historical society, which reopened it as a museum. In 2000, it was named a National Historic Landmark. In 2009, the historical society took over the Silverton Standard &amp; the Miner to secure the future of the oldest continuously published newspaper on the Western Slope. The historical society also operates the Mining Heritage Center and the 1902 County Jail Museum in Silverton. It hopes to reconstruct the Silverton Northern Railroad for tourist trips to Howardsville. The Silverton area’s mining history continues to affect its natural environment. Old mines in the region experience acid mine drainage, in which a yellow-orange slurry of toxic metals flows into nearby water sources. In August 2015, the problem received widespread attention when Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) workers at the Gold King Mine accidentally released 3 million gallons of contaminated wastewater that turned the Animas River mustard yellow as it flowed south to Durango and beyond. The incident spurred local officials to reverse traditional opposition to federal help and request EPA Superfund site designation to help clean up the area’s abandoned mines. In September 2016, the EPA placed the Gold King Mine and forty-seven other nearby mining sites on its National Priorities List for Superfund cleanup. Despite the scars that mining has left on the landscape, the stunning natural beauty and ample recreation opportunities near Silverton continue to draw tourists and outdoor enthusiasts who enjoy driving, four-wheeling, cycling, hiking, kayaking, and skiing. Soon after the closure of the Sunnyside Mine, mountain runners in the region organized the Hardrock Hundred Endurance Run as a celebration of the area’s mining history. Starting and finishing in Silverton, the 100-mile run takes place annually in July and is widely regarded as one of the toughest and most scenic ultramarathons in the world."><strong>William Jackson Palmer</strong></a>’s Denver &amp; Rio Grande Railway established <strong>Durango</strong><strong>. </strong>Tracks reached the new town in July 1881. Soon after that, workers started on the final forty-five-mile stretch to Silverton. They used parts of the Animas River wagon road for the railroad’s route. The first train reached Silverton on July 8, 1882. Passenger service started on July 11. Trains hauled their first ore on July 13. The railroad opened a new era in San Juan County by improving transportation. This made it cheaper to live there. It also attracted new investments, and made large-scale mining profitable.</p> <h2>Mining Years</h2> <p>The arrival of the railroad marked the start of an extended mining boom in Silverton and the rest of San Juan County. The district’s production was only $97,000 the year the railroad arrived. It more than quadrupled to $400,000 the next year. Silverton’s population soon doubled to 2,000. By 1885 the district’s production reached $1 million per year. In the 1890s, it hit more than $2 million. From 1882 to 1918, the San Juan mining district produced more than $65 million in ores.</p> <p>Gold had first attracted attention to the San Juans in the 1860s and 1870s. In the 1880s and early 1890s, the district rode the wave of silver. Silver was also lifting towns such as <strong>Leadville</strong> and <strong><a href="/article/aspen">Aspen</a>. </strong>The <strong>repeal of the Sherman Silver Purchase Act in 1893</strong> knocked out silver mining across Colorado. The Silverton area suffered as well. Unlike many other mining districts in Colorado, Silverton was able to recover. It even increased production. This was thanks to its deep reserves of gold and other minerals.</p> <p>The town became the transportation hub of the region. Three short narrow gauge lines branched up river valleys to connect outlying mines to the Denver &amp; Rio Grande at Silverton. In 1888–89, <strong>Otto Mears</strong> built the Silverton Railroad north up Mineral Creek to Red Mountain. Ten years later, the Gold King Consolidated Mines Company built the Silverton, Gladstone &amp; Northerly Railroad. This went up Cement Creek to the <strong>Gold King Mine</strong>. Starting in the 1880s, the Silverton Northern inched up the Animas River. It reached Animas Forks in 1904.</p> <h2>From Mining to Tourism</h2> <p>Silverton’s long mining boom ended in the 1910s. Perhaps the clearest sign of a shift was the creation of the Silverton Commercial Club in 1913. This organization was created to promote recreation and tourism in the region. Mining still continued in the area for most of the twentieth century. After 1920, mining was in decline rather than on the rise. The narrow gauge lines, branching out from Silverton, were combined and then closed. All three were gone by 1941. Outlying mining camps gradually emptied. This left Silverton as the only town in the county.</p> <p>One of the most important new mining operations during these years was the <a href="/article/shenandoah-dives-mining-company"><strong>Shenandoah-Dives Mining Company</strong></a>. It operated mines and a mill northeast of town along the Animas River. Starting in 1925, general manager Charles A. Chase guided the company in buying and combining old mines and claims. In 1929 he built a new mill to process the ores. The company originally intended to produce gold and silver. Base metals such as copper, lead, and zinc helped it survive during the Great Depression and World War II. Demand for metals stopped after World War II. The Shenandoah-Dives Mining Company shut down operations in 1953. The area’s mining production dropped to its lowest level since 1882. The town’s population dropped below 1,000. The mill changed hands but continued to operate until the early 1990s.</p> <p>In the 1940s and 1950s, Hollywood studios used the Durango–Silverton railroad to film Westerns. Passenger traffic started to increase as tourists were drawn to the line’s history and scenery. Passengers tripled from 12,000 in 1953 to 37,000 in 1962. In the mid-1960s, the railroad started courting tourists more actively. The train started pulling straight into Silverton instead of backing in. The rails were extended to Blair Street to deliver tourists directly into town. By the late 1970s, the line carried more than 120,000 passengers per year.</p> <p>Mining declined and tourism increased. Silverton’s history became one of its most valuable resources. In 1961 Silverton and the Durango–Silverton narrow gauge line were named National Historic Landmarks. In 1964 the San Juan County Historical Society was established.</p> <h2>Today</h2> <p>In 1991 the Sunnyside Mine closed for good. This marked the end of major mining operations around Silverton. Tourism became Silverton’s main industry. The Durango &amp; Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad (as the line was renamed in 1981), became just as important to the town’s success as it had been a century before. The difference was that now it brought in tourists instead of hauling away ores.</p> <p>Visitors were attracted to Silverton by its history and its natural environment. The San Juan County Historical Society became a leader in preserving and promoting Silverton’s many historic sites. In 1996 Sunnyside Gold donated the <strong>Shenandoah-Dives Mill</strong> to the historical society. It reopened the mill as a museum. In 2000 it was named a National Historic Landmark. In 2009 the historical society took over the <em>Silverton Standard &amp; the Miner. </em>This was to secure the future of the oldest continuously published newspaper on the Western Slope. The historical society also operates the <strong>Mining Heritage Center</strong> and the 1902 County Jail Museum in Silverton. It hopes to reconstruct the Silverton Northern Railroad for tourist trips to Howardsville.</p> <p>The Silverton area’s mining history continues to affect its natural environment. Old mines in the region experience <strong>acid mine drainage</strong><strong>. </strong>This results in a yellow-orange slurry of toxic metals flowing into nearby water sources. In August 2015, the problem got widespread attention. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) workers at the Gold King Mine accidentally released 3 million gallons of contaminated wastewater. It turned the Animas River mustard yellow as it flowed south to Durango and beyond. The incident pushed local officials to reverse traditional opposition to federal help. They requested EPA Superfund site designation to help clean up the area’s abandoned mines. In September 2016, the EPA placed the Gold King Mine and forty-seven other nearby mining sites on its National Priorities List for Superfund cleanup.</p> <p>Mining has left scars on the landscape. Even so, the stunning natural beauty and many recreation opportunities near Silverton continue to draw tourists and outdoor enthusiasts. They are able to enjoy driving, four-wheeling, cycling, hiking, kayaking, and skiing. Soon after the closure of the Sunnyside Mine, mountain runners in the region organized the <strong>Hardrock Hundred Endurance Run</strong><strong>. </strong>The run is a celebration of the area’s mining history. It starts and finishes in Silverton. The 100-mile run takes place annually in July. It is thought to be one of the toughest and most scenic ultra-marathons in the world.</p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-8th-grade--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-8th-grade.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-8th-grade.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-8th-grade field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item" id="id-field-8th-grade"><p>Silverton is a historic mining town established in 1874 in the heart of the <a href="/article/san-juan-mountains"><strong>San Juan Mountains</strong></a>. The <strong>Denver &amp; Rio Grande Railway</strong> (now the <a href="/article/durango-silverton-narrow-gauge-railroad"><strong>Durango &amp; Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad</strong></a>) reached the town in 1882. The surrounding region experienced a mining boom that lasted until the 1910s. After World War II, more people visited the town for its scenery and history. Silverton was named a National Historic Landmark in 1961. It now has a population of about 600 people and is the only incorporated town in <a href="/article/san-juan-county"><strong>San Juan County</strong></a>.</p> <h2>False Starts</h2> <p>Before white people arrived in the San Juan Mountains in the 1860s and 1870s, the region was occupied by Tabeguache and Weeminuche <strong>Utes</strong>. In the 1700s, Spanish explorers and miners occasionally ventured north from New Mexico into the rugged San Juans. They left behind some evidence of mining and a host of Spanish place names. Fur trappers and traders started to pass through the region in the early nineteenth century. Many of them—including mountain man and Army officer <a href="/article/kit-carson"><strong>Kit Carson</strong></a>—claimed that the San Juans were full of gold and silver.</p> <p>The <strong><a href="/article/colorado-gold-rush">Colorado Gold Rush</a> </strong>of 1858–59 brought thousands of prospectors to the Front Range. There were many rumors of gold and silver in the San Juans, but they were not confirmed, so many people did not make the long journey from <a href="/article/denver"><strong>Denver</strong></a>. One who did make the trip was <strong>Charles Baker</strong>, who led a small party to the <a href="/article/animas-river"><strong>Animas River</strong></a> in August 1860. Baker discovered gold in a flat valley where Cement Creek and Mineral Creek joined the Animas at an elevation of about 9,300 feet. News of the discovery reached the <strong><em>Rocky Mountain News</em></strong> in October. Baker built a toll road up the Animas River from New Mexico. He established a small supply town called Animas City at the base of the mountains, and waited for prospectors to rush to Baker’s Park, as the valley became known.</p> <p>Several hundred people—perhaps as many as 1,000—came to Baker’s Park in 1861. They quickly found that the area did not have as much gold as advertised. They also faced hostile Utes, a harsh climate, high elevation, and a remote location. By fall they all left the mountains complaining of the “San Juan Humbug.” Lingering memories of that disappointment and four years of Civil War kept other prospectors from trying their luck until the end of the decade.</p> <p>By the time prospectors started to return to the San Juans, the <strong>Treaty of 1868</strong> officially recognized the area as Ute land. This did little to stop white prospectors. They explored the area in violation of the treaty. By the early 1870s, they made their way back to Baker’s Park and the upper Animas River valley. This activity led to the 1873 <a href="/article/brunot-agreement"><strong>Brunot Agreement</strong></a>, which forced out the Utes and opened the San Juans to white mining and settlement.</p> <h2>Waiting for the Railroad</h2> <p>By the end of 1873, the Brunot Agreement made claims and titles more secure. More than 4,000 claims were recorded in the mountains and valleys around Baker’s Park. Mining towns were taking shape throughout the region, including <strong><a href="/article/animas-forks">Animas Forks</a>,</strong> Eureka, and Howardsville along the upper Animas River. By 1874 Howardsville had a post office and claimed the county seat.</p> <p>Compared to some other mining camps in the area, Silverton got a relatively late start. The town took shape in Baker’s Park, where Francis Marion Snowden built the first log cabin in 1874. Silverton was officially organized that September and quickly became the preeminent town in the district. That fall it won an election to steal the county seat from Howardsville. It also worked to attract vital new businesses such as a sawmill and a smelter. Silverton’s central location at the confluence of several streams made it a natural supply center for outlying mining camps. It soon developed into the capital of a large section of the San Juans.</p> <p>The main problem for people in Silverton and the surrounding mining camps was that it was a long and treacherous journey to the outside world. As with other mining districts throughout Colorado, the San Juans could not really be tapped until a railroad arrived to make the transportation of heavy ores cheaper and faster. In 1874 the district produced less than $15,000 in gold and silver. Because of its remote location, as well as the economic depression that came with the Panic of 1873, Silverton had to wait nearly a decade before the Denver &amp; Rio Grande Railway finally worked its way north into town.</p> <p>In the meantime, Silverton developed into a town of about 1,000 people by 1880. Other towns in the region tended to develop around a single main street in a narrow valley. Silverton, however, had the space to build out a traditional street grid. Its first newspaper—the <em>La Plata Miner</em>—started in 1875, and Congregationalists built the town’s first church in 1878. In its early years, Silverton was reached primarily by a difficult route over Stony Pass after ascending the Rio Grande from <strong>Del Norte</strong><strong>. </strong>&nbsp;In 1877 a new route was forged south along the Animas River.</p> <p>In September 1880, <a href="http://Silverton is a historic mining town established in 1874 in Baker’s Park in the heart of the San Juan Mountains. After the Denver &amp; Rio Grande Railway (now the Durango &amp; Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad) reached the town in 1882, the surrounding region experienced a mining boom that lasted until the 1910s. After World War II, tourism took hold as people visited the town for its scenery and history. Named a National Historic Landmark in 1961, Silverton now has a population of about 600 people and is the only incorporated town in San Juan County. False Starts Before white settlers started to arrive in the San Juan Mountains in the 1860s and 1870s, the region was occupied by Tabeguache and Weeminuche Utes. In the 1700s, Spanish explorers and miners occasionally ventured north from New Mexico into the rugged San Juans, leaving behind some evidence of mining and a host of Spanish place names. Fur trappers and traders started to pass through the region in the early nineteenth century. Many of them—including mountain man and Army officer Kit Carson—claimed that the San Juans were full of gold and silver. The Colorado Gold Rush of 1858–59 brought thousands of prospectors to the Front Range. Rumors of the San Juans’ mineral wealth abounded, but they were not firm enough to inspire many people to make the long journey from Denver. One who did make the trip was Charles Baker, who led a small party to the Animas River in August 1860. Baker discovered gold in a flat valley where Cement Creek and Mineral Creek joined the Animas at an elevation of about 9,300 feet. News of the discovery reached the Rocky Mountain News in October. Baker built a toll road up the Animas River from New Mexico, established a small supply town called Animas City at the base of the mountains, and waited for prospectors to rush to Baker’s Park, as the site became known. Several hundred people, perhaps as many as 1,000, came to Baker’s Park in 1861. They quickly found that the area did not have as much gold as advertised. Moreover, they faced hostile Utes, a harsh climate, high elevation, and a remote location. By fall they all left the mountains complaining of the “San Juan Humbug.” Lingering memories of that disappointment and four years of Civil War kept other prospectors from trying their luck until the end of the decade. By the time prospectors started to return to the San Juans, the Treaty of 1868 had officially established the area as Ute land. This did little to stop whites attracted by the mountains’ reputed mineral wealth. They explored the area in violation of the treaty, and by the early 1870s, they made their way back to Baker’s Park and the upper Animas River valley. This activity led to the 1873 Brunot Agreement, which forced the Utes out of the area and officially opened the San Juans to white mining and settlement. Waiting for the Railroad By the end of 1873, after the Brunot Agreement made claims and titles more secure, more than 4,000 claims were recorded in the mountains and valleys around Baker’s Park. Unlike the earlier claims, which had been made on easily accessible deposits of placer gold, these claims were for gold and silver locked in the rocks below the mountains. Mining towns began to take shape throughout the region, such as Animas Forks, Eureka, and Howardsville along the upper Animas River. By 1874 Howardsville had a post office and claimed the La Plata County seat. Compared to some other mining camps in the area, Silverton got a relatively late start. The town took shape in Baker’s Park, where Francis Marion Snowden built the first log cabin in 1874. Silverton was officially organized that September and quickly became the preeminent town in the district. That fall it won an election to steal the county seat from Howardsville, and it also worked to attract vital new businesses such as a sawmill and a smelter. Its central location at the confluence of several streams made it a natural supply center for outlying mining camps, and it soon developed into the political, economic, and social capital of a large section of the San Juans. The main problem for people in Silverton and the surrounding mining camps was that it was a long and treacherous journey—at best—to the outside world. As with other mining districts throughout Colorado, the San Juans could not really be tapped until a railroad arrived to make the transportation of heavy ores relatively cheap and fast. In 1874, the district produced less than $15,000. Because of its remote location, as well as the economic depression that settled over the country for several years after the Panic of 1873, Silverton had to wait nearly a decade before the Denver &amp; Rio Grande Railway finally worked its way north into town along the Animas River. In the meantime, San Juan County was created in 1876, and Silverton grew to a town of about 1,000 people by 1880. In contrast to other towns in the region, which tended to develop around a single main street in a narrow valley, Silverton had the space to build out a traditional street grid. Its first newspaper—the La Plata Miner—started in 1875, and Congregationalists built the town’s first church in 1878. In its early years, Silverton was reached primarily by a difficult route over Stony Pass after ascending the Rio Grande from Del Norte, but in 1877 a new route was forged south along the Animas River. In September 1880, William Jackson Palmer’s Denver &amp; Rio Grande Railway established Durango, and tracks reached the new town in July 1881. Almost immediately, workers started on the final forty-five-mile stretch to Silverton, using parts of the Animas River wagon road for the railroad’s route. The first train reached Silverton on July 8, 1882. Passenger service started on July 11, and trains hauled their first ore on July 13. The railroad opened a new era in San Juan County by improving transportation, decreasing the cost of living, attracting new investments, and making large-scale mining profitable. Mining Years The arrival of the railroad marked the start of an extended mining boom in Silverton and the rest of San Juan County. The district’s production was only $97,000 the year the railroad arrived, but it more than quadrupled to $400,000 the next year. Silverton’s population soon doubled to 2,000. By 1885 the district’s production reached $1 million per year, and in the 1890s, it hit more than $2 million. From 1882 to 1918, the San Juan mining district produced more than $65 million in ores. Gold had first attracted attention to the San Juans in the 1860s and 1870s, but in the 1880s and early 1890s, the district rode the wave of silver that was also lifting towns such as Leadville and Aspen. When the Panic of 1893 knocked out silver mining across Colorado, the Silverton area suffered as well. Unlike many other mining districts in Colorado however, it was able to recover and even increase production thanks to its deep reserves of gold and other minerals. The town became the transportation hub of the region, with three short narrow gauge lines branching up river valleys to connect outlying mines to the Denver &amp; Rio Grande at Silverton. In 1888–89, Otto Mears built the Silverton Railroad north up Mineral Creek to Red Mountain. Ten years later, the Gold King Consolidated Mines Company built the Silverton, Gladstone &amp; Northerly up Cement Creek to the Gold King Mine. Starting in the 1880s, the Silverton Northern inched up the Animas River until it reached Animas Forks in 1904. From Mining to Tourism Silverton’s long mining boom ended in the 1910s. Perhaps the clearest sign of a shift was the organization of the Silverton Commercial Club in 1913 to promote recreation and tourism in the region. Mining still continued in the area for most of the twentieth century, but after 1920 it was clearly in decline rather than on the rise. The narrow gauge lines branching out from Silverton began to consolidate and close, with all three gone by 1941. Outlying mining camps gradually emptied, leaving Silverton as the only town in the county. One of the most important new mining operations during these years was the Shenandoah-Dives Mining Company, which operated mines and a mill northeast of town along the Animas River. Starting in 1925, general manager Charles A. Chase guided the company in acquiring and consolidating old mines and claims, and in 1929 he built a new mill to process the ores. The company originally intended to produce gold and silver, but base metals such as copper, lead, and zinc helped it survive during the Great Depression and World War II. Demand for metals stopped after World War II, and the Shenandoah-Dives Mining Company shut down operations in 1953. The area’s mining production dropped to its lowest level since 1882, and the town’s population dropped below 1,000. The mill changed hands but continued to operate most years until the early 1990s. In the 1940s and 1950s, Hollywood studios used the Durango–Silverton railroad to film Westerns such as Across the Wide Missouri (1951). Passenger traffic started to increase as tourists were drawn to the line’s history and scenery. Passengers tripled from 12,000 in 1953 to 37,000 in 1962. In the mid-1960s the railroad started courting tourists more actively. The train started pulling straight into Silverton instead of backing in, and the rails were extended to Blair Street to deliver tourists directly into town. By the late 1970s, the line carried more than 120,000 passengers per year. As mining declined and tourism increased, Silverton’s history became one of its most valuable resources. In 1961 Silverton and the Durango–Silverton narrow gauge line were named National Historic Landmarks, and in 1964 the San Juan County Historical Society was established. Today In 1991 the Sunnyside Mine closed for good, marking the end of major mining operations around Silverton. Tourism became Silverton’s main industry. The Durango &amp; Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad (as the line was renamed in 1981), became just as vital to the town’s success as it had been a century before—only now it brought in tourists instead of hauling away ores. Visitors were attracted to Silverton by its history and its natural environment. The San Juan County Historical Society became a leader in preserving and promoting Silverton’s many historic sites. In 1996 Sunnyside Gold donated the Shenandoah-Dives Mill to the historical society, which reopened it as a museum. In 2000, it was named a National Historic Landmark. In 2009, the historical society took over the Silverton Standard &amp; the Miner to secure the future of the oldest continuously published newspaper on the Western Slope. The historical society also operates the Mining Heritage Center and the 1902 County Jail Museum in Silverton. It hopes to reconstruct the Silverton Northern Railroad for tourist trips to Howardsville. The Silverton area’s mining history continues to affect its natural environment. Old mines in the region experience acid mine drainage, in which a yellow-orange slurry of toxic metals flows into nearby water sources. In August 2015, the problem received widespread attention when Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) workers at the Gold King Mine accidentally released 3 million gallons of contaminated wastewater that turned the Animas River mustard yellow as it flowed south to Durango and beyond. The incident spurred local officials to reverse traditional opposition to federal help and request EPA Superfund site designation to help clean up the area’s abandoned mines. In September 2016, the EPA placed the Gold King Mine and forty-seven other nearby mining sites on its National Priorities List for Superfund cleanup. Despite the scars that mining has left on the landscape, the stunning natural beauty and ample recreation opportunities near Silverton continue to draw tourists and outdoor enthusiasts who enjoy driving, four-wheeling, cycling, hiking, kayaking, and skiing. Soon after the closure of the Sunnyside Mine, mountain runners in the region organized the Hardrock Hundred Endurance Run as a celebration of the area’s mining history. Starting and finishing in Silverton, the 100-mile run takes place annually in July and is widely regarded as one of the toughest and most scenic ultramarathons in the world."><strong>William Jackson Palmer</strong></a>’s Denver &amp; Rio Grande Railway established <strong>Durango</strong><strong>. </strong>Tracks reached the new town in July 1881. Almost immediately, workers started on the final forty-five-mile stretch to Silverton. They used parts of the Animas River wagon road for the railroad’s route. The first train reached Silverton on July 8, 1882. Passenger service started on July 11, and trains hauled their first ore on July 13. The railroad opened a new era in San Juan County by improving transportation. This decreased the cost of living, attracted new investments, and made large-scale mining profitable.</p> <h2>Mining Years</h2> <p>The arrival of the railroad marked the start of an extended mining boom in Silverton and the rest of San Juan County. The district’s production was only $97,000 the year the railroad arrived, but it more than quadrupled to $400,000 the next year. Silverton’s population soon doubled to 2,000. By 1885 the district’s production reached $1 million per year, and in the 1890s it hit more than $2 million. From 1882 to 1918, the San Juan mining district produced more than $65 million in ores.</p> <p>Gold had first attracted attention to the San Juans in the 1860s and 1870s. In the 1880s and early 1890s, the district rode the wave of silver that was also lifting towns such as <strong>Leadville</strong> and <strong><a href="/article/aspen">Aspen</a>. </strong>When the <strong>repeal of the Sherman Silver Purchase Act </strong>decreased the value of silver in 1893, the Silverton area suffered as well. However, unlike many other mining districts in Colorado, it was able to recover and even increase production. This was because of its deep reserves of gold and other minerals.</p> <p>The town became the transportation hub of the region. Three short, narrow-gauge lines branched up river valleys to connect outlying mines to the Denver &amp; Rio Grande at Silverton. In 1888–89, <strong>Otto Mears</strong> built the Silverton Railroad north up Mineral Creek to Red Mountain. Ten years later, the Gold King Consolidated Mines Company built the Silverton, Gladstone &amp; Northerly up Cement Creek to the <strong>Gold King Mine</strong>. Starting in the 1880s, the Silverton Northern inched up the Animas River until it reached Animas Forks in 1904.</p> <h2>From Mining to Tourism</h2> <p>Silverton’s long mining boom ended in the 1910s. Perhaps the clearest sign of a shift was the organization of the Silverton Commercial Club in 1913. This organization was created to promote recreation and tourism in the region. Mining still continued in the area for most of the twentieth century, but after 1920 it was clearly in decline rather than on the rise. The narrow gauge lines branching out from Silverton began to consolidate and close. All three were gone by 1941. Outlying mining camps gradually emptied, leaving Silverton as the only town in the county.</p> <p>One of the most important new mining operations during these years was the <a href="/article/shenandoah-dives-mining-company"><strong>Shenandoah-Dives Mining Company</strong></a>, which operated mines and a mill northeast of town along the Animas River. Starting in 1925, general manager Charles A. Chase guided the company in acquiring and consolidating old mines and claims, and in 1929 he built a new mill to process the ores. The company originally intended to produce gold and silver. Base metals such as copper, lead, and zinc helped it survive during the Great Depression and World War II. Demand for metals stopped after World War II, and the Shenandoah-Dives Mining Company shut down operations in 1953. The area’s mining production dropped to its lowest level since 1882, and the town’s population dropped below 1,000. The mill changed hands but continued to operate most years until the early 1990s.</p> <p>In the 1940s and 1950s, Hollywood studios used the Durango–Silverton railroad to film Westerns such as <em>Across the Wide Missouri</em> (1951). Passenger traffic started to increase as tourists were drawn to the line’s history and scenery. Passengers tripled from 12,000 in 1953 to 37,000 in 1962. In the mid-1960s, the railroad started courting tourists more actively. The train started pulling straight into Silverton instead of backing in, and the rails were extended to Blair Street to deliver tourists directly into town. By the late 1970s, the line carried more than 120,000 passengers per year.</p> <p>As mining declined and tourism increased, Silverton’s history became one of its most valuable resources. In 1961 Silverton and the Durango–Silverton narrow gauge line were named National Historic Landmarks, and in 1964 the San Juan County Historical Society was established.</p> <h2>Today</h2> <p>In 1991 the Sunnyside Mine closed for good, marking the end of major mining operations around Silverton. Tourism became Silverton’s main industry. The Durango &amp; Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad (as the line was renamed in 1981), became just as vital to the town’s success as it had been a century before—only now it brought in tourists instead of hauling away ores.</p> <p>Visitors were attracted to Silverton by its history and its natural environment. The San Juan County Historical Society became a leader in preserving and promoting Silverton’s many historic sites. In 1996 Sunnyside Gold donated the <strong>Shenandoah-Dives Mill</strong> to the historical society, which reopened it as a museum. In 2000 it was named a National Historic Landmark. In 2009, the historical society took over the <em>Silverton Standard &amp; the Miner</em> to secure the future of the oldest continuously published newspaper on the Western Slope. The historical society also operates the <strong>Mining Heritage Center</strong> and the 1902 County Jail Museum in Silverton. It hopes to reconstruct the Silverton Northern Railroad for tourist trips to Howardsville.</p> <p>Unfortunately, the Silverton area’s mining history continues to affect its natural environment. Old mines in the region experience <strong>acid mine drainage</strong>, in which a yellow-orange slurry of toxic metals flows into nearby water sources. In August 2015, the problem received widespread attention when Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) workers at the Gold King Mine accidentally released 3 million gallons of contaminated wastewater. It turned the Animas River mustard yellow as it flowed south to Durango and beyond. The incident spurred local officials to reverse traditional opposition to federal help. They requested EPA Superfund site designation to help clean up the area’s abandoned mines. In September 2016, the EPA placed the Gold King Mine and forty-seven other nearby mining sites on its National Priorities List for Superfund cleanup.</p> <p>Despite the scars that mining has left on the landscape, the stunning natural beauty and ample recreation opportunities near Silverton continue to draw tourists and outdoor enthusiasts who enjoy driving, four-wheeling, cycling, hiking, kayaking, and skiing. Soon after the closure of the Sunnyside Mine, mountain runners in the region organized the <strong>Hardrock Hundred Endurance Run</strong> as a celebration of the area’s mining history. Starting and finishing in Silverton, the 100-mile run takes place annually in July. It is widely regarded as one of the toughest and most scenic ultra-marathons in the world.</p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-10th-grade--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-10th-grade.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-10th-grade.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-10th-grade field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item" id="id-field-10th-grade"><p>Silverton is a historic mining town established in 1874 in Baker’s Park in the heart of the <a href="/article/san-juan-mountains"><strong>San Juan Mountains</strong></a>. After the <strong>Denver &amp; Rio Grande Railway</strong> (now the <a href="/article/durango-silverton-narrow-gauge-railroad"><strong>Durango &amp; Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad</strong></a>) reached the town in 1882, the surrounding region experienced a mining boom that lasted until the 1910s. After World War II, tourism took hold as people visited the town for its scenery and history. Named a National Historic Landmark in 1961, Silverton now has a population of about 600 people and is the only incorporated town in <a href="/article/san-juan-county"><strong>San Juan County</strong></a>.</p> <h2>False Starts</h2> <p>Before white settlers started to arrive in the San Juan Mountains in the 1860s and 1870s, the region was occupied by Tabeguache and Weeminuche <strong>Utes</strong>. In the 1700s, Spanish explorers and miners occasionally ventured north from New Mexico into the rugged San Juans, leaving behind some evidence of mining and a host of Spanish place names. Fur trappers and traders started to pass through the region in the early nineteenth century. Many of them—including mountain man and Army officer <a href="/article/kit-carson"><strong>Kit Carson</strong></a>—claimed that the San Juans were full of gold and silver.</p> <p>The <a href="/article/colorado-gold-rush"><strong>Colorado Gold Rush</strong></a> of 1858–59 brought thousands of prospectors to the Front Range. Rumors of the San Juans’ mineral wealth abounded, but they were not firm enough to inspire many people to make the long journey from <a href="/article/denver"><strong>Denver</strong></a>. One who did make the trip was <strong>Charles Baker</strong>, who led a small party to the <a href="/article/animas-river"><strong>Animas River</strong></a> in August 1860. Baker discovered gold in a flat valley where Cement Creek and Mineral Creek joined the Animas at an elevation of about 9,300 feet. News of the discovery reached the <strong><em>Rocky Mountain News</em></strong> in October. Baker built a toll road up the Animas River from New Mexico, established a small supply town called Animas City at the base of the mountains, and waited for prospectors to rush to Baker’s Park, as the site became known.</p> <p>Several hundred people, perhaps as many as 1,000, came to Baker’s Park in 1861. They quickly found that the area did not have as much gold as advertised. Moreover, they faced hostile Utes, a harsh climate, high elevation, and a remote location. By fall they all left the mountains complaining of the “San Juan Humbug.” Lingering memories of that disappointment and four years of Civil War kept other prospectors from trying their luck until the end of the decade.</p> <p>By the time prospectors started to return to the San Juans, the <strong>Treaty of 1868</strong> had officially established the area as Ute land. This did little to stop whites attracted by the mountains’ reputed mineral wealth. They explored the area in violation of the treaty, and by the early 1870s, they made their way back to Baker’s Park and the upper Animas River valley. This activity led to the 1873 <a href="/article/brunot-agreement"><strong>Brunot Agreement</strong></a>, which forced the Utes out of the area and officially opened the San Juans to white mining and settlement.</p> <h2>Waiting for the Railroad</h2> <p>By the end of 1873, after the Brunot Agreement made claims and titles more secure, more than 4,000 claims were recorded in the mountains and valleys around Baker’s Park. Unlike the earlier claims, which had been made on easily accessible deposits of placer gold, these claims were for gold and silver locked in the rocks below the mountains.</p> <p>Mining towns began to take shape throughout the region, such as <strong><a href="/article/animas-forks">Animas Forks</a>, </strong>Eureka, and Howardsville along the upper Animas River. By 1874 Howardsville had a post office and claimed the <a href="/article/la-plata-county"><strong>La Plata County</strong></a> seat.</p> <p>Compared to some other mining camps in the area, Silverton got a relatively late start. The town took shape in Baker’s Park, where Francis Marion Snowden built the first log cabin in 1874. Silverton was officially organized that September and quickly became the preeminent town in the district. That fall it won an election to steal the county seat from Howardsville, and it also worked to attract vital new businesses such as a sawmill and a smelter. Its central location at the confluence of several streams made it a natural supply center for outlying mining camps, and it soon developed into the political, economic, and social capital of a large section of the San Juans.</p> <p>The main problem for people in Silverton and the surrounding mining camps was that it was a long and treacherous journey—at best—to the outside world. As with other mining districts throughout Colorado, the San Juans could not really be tapped until a railroad arrived to make the transportation of heavy ores relatively cheap and fast. In 1874, the district produced less than $15,000. Because of its remote location, as well as the economic depression that settled over the country for several years after the Panic of 1873, Silverton had to wait nearly a decade before the Denver &amp; Rio Grande Railway finally worked its way north into town along the Animas River.</p> <p>In the meantime, San Juan County was created in 1876, and Silverton grew to a town of about 1,000 people by 1880. In contrast to other towns in the region, which tended to develop around a single main street in a narrow valley, Silverton had the space to build out a traditional street grid. Its first newspaper—the <em>La Plata Miner</em>—started in 1875, and Congregationalists built the town’s first church in 1878. In its early years, Silverton was reached primarily by a difficult route over Stony Pass after ascending the Rio Grande from <strong>Del Norte</strong>, but in 1877 a new route was forged south along the Animas River.</p> <p>In September 1880, <a href="http://Silverton is a historic mining town established in 1874 in Baker’s Park in the heart of the San Juan Mountains. After the Denver &amp; Rio Grande Railway (now the Durango &amp; Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad) reached the town in 1882, the surrounding region experienced a mining boom that lasted until the 1910s. After World War II, tourism took hold as people visited the town for its scenery and history. Named a National Historic Landmark in 1961, Silverton now has a population of about 600 people and is the only incorporated town in San Juan County. False Starts Before white settlers started to arrive in the San Juan Mountains in the 1860s and 1870s, the region was occupied by Tabeguache and Weeminuche Utes. In the 1700s, Spanish explorers and miners occasionally ventured north from New Mexico into the rugged San Juans, leaving behind some evidence of mining and a host of Spanish place names. Fur trappers and traders started to pass through the region in the early nineteenth century. Many of them—including mountain man and Army officer Kit Carson—claimed that the San Juans were full of gold and silver. The Colorado Gold Rush of 1858–59 brought thousands of prospectors to the Front Range. Rumors of the San Juans’ mineral wealth abounded, but they were not firm enough to inspire many people to make the long journey from Denver. One who did make the trip was Charles Baker, who led a small party to the Animas River in August 1860. Baker discovered gold in a flat valley where Cement Creek and Mineral Creek joined the Animas at an elevation of about 9,300 feet. News of the discovery reached the Rocky Mountain News in October. Baker built a toll road up the Animas River from New Mexico, established a small supply town called Animas City at the base of the mountains, and waited for prospectors to rush to Baker’s Park, as the site became known. Several hundred people, perhaps as many as 1,000, came to Baker’s Park in 1861. They quickly found that the area did not have as much gold as advertised. Moreover, they faced hostile Utes, a harsh climate, high elevation, and a remote location. By fall they all left the mountains complaining of the “San Juan Humbug.” Lingering memories of that disappointment and four years of Civil War kept other prospectors from trying their luck until the end of the decade. By the time prospectors started to return to the San Juans, the Treaty of 1868 had officially established the area as Ute land. This did little to stop whites attracted by the mountains’ reputed mineral wealth. They explored the area in violation of the treaty, and by the early 1870s, they made their way back to Baker’s Park and the upper Animas River valley. This activity led to the 1873 Brunot Agreement, which forced the Utes out of the area and officially opened the San Juans to white mining and settlement. Waiting for the Railroad By the end of 1873, after the Brunot Agreement made claims and titles more secure, more than 4,000 claims were recorded in the mountains and valleys around Baker’s Park. Unlike the earlier claims, which had been made on easily accessible deposits of placer gold, these claims were for gold and silver locked in the rocks below the mountains. Mining towns began to take shape throughout the region, such as Animas Forks, Eureka, and Howardsville along the upper Animas River. By 1874 Howardsville had a post office and claimed the La Plata County seat. Compared to some other mining camps in the area, Silverton got a relatively late start. The town took shape in Baker’s Park, where Francis Marion Snowden built the first log cabin in 1874. Silverton was officially organized that September and quickly became the preeminent town in the district. That fall it won an election to steal the county seat from Howardsville, and it also worked to attract vital new businesses such as a sawmill and a smelter. Its central location at the confluence of several streams made it a natural supply center for outlying mining camps, and it soon developed into the political, economic, and social capital of a large section of the San Juans. The main problem for people in Silverton and the surrounding mining camps was that it was a long and treacherous journey—at best—to the outside world. As with other mining districts throughout Colorado, the San Juans could not really be tapped until a railroad arrived to make the transportation of heavy ores relatively cheap and fast. In 1874, the district produced less than $15,000. Because of its remote location, as well as the economic depression that settled over the country for several years after the Panic of 1873, Silverton had to wait nearly a decade before the Denver &amp; Rio Grande Railway finally worked its way north into town along the Animas River. In the meantime, San Juan County was created in 1876, and Silverton grew to a town of about 1,000 people by 1880. In contrast to other towns in the region, which tended to develop around a single main street in a narrow valley, Silverton had the space to build out a traditional street grid. Its first newspaper—the La Plata Miner—started in 1875, and Congregationalists built the town’s first church in 1878. In its early years, Silverton was reached primarily by a difficult route over Stony Pass after ascending the Rio Grande from Del Norte, but in 1877 a new route was forged south along the Animas River. In September 1880, William Jackson Palmer’s Denver &amp; Rio Grande Railway established Durango, and tracks reached the new town in July 1881. Almost immediately, workers started on the final forty-five-mile stretch to Silverton, using parts of the Animas River wagon road for the railroad’s route. The first train reached Silverton on July 8, 1882. Passenger service started on July 11, and trains hauled their first ore on July 13. The railroad opened a new era in San Juan County by improving transportation, decreasing the cost of living, attracting new investments, and making large-scale mining profitable. Mining Years The arrival of the railroad marked the start of an extended mining boom in Silverton and the rest of San Juan County. The district’s production was only $97,000 the year the railroad arrived, but it more than quadrupled to $400,000 the next year. Silverton’s population soon doubled to 2,000. By 1885 the district’s production reached $1 million per year, and in the 1890s, it hit more than $2 million. From 1882 to 1918, the San Juan mining district produced more than $65 million in ores. Gold had first attracted attention to the San Juans in the 1860s and 1870s, but in the 1880s and early 1890s, the district rode the wave of silver that was also lifting towns such as Leadville and Aspen. When the Panic of 1893 knocked out silver mining across Colorado, the Silverton area suffered as well. Unlike many other mining districts in Colorado however, it was able to recover and even increase production thanks to its deep reserves of gold and other minerals. The town became the transportation hub of the region, with three short narrow gauge lines branching up river valleys to connect outlying mines to the Denver &amp; Rio Grande at Silverton. In 1888–89, Otto Mears built the Silverton Railroad north up Mineral Creek to Red Mountain. Ten years later, the Gold King Consolidated Mines Company built the Silverton, Gladstone &amp; Northerly up Cement Creek to the Gold King Mine. Starting in the 1880s, the Silverton Northern inched up the Animas River until it reached Animas Forks in 1904. From Mining to Tourism Silverton’s long mining boom ended in the 1910s. Perhaps the clearest sign of a shift was the organization of the Silverton Commercial Club in 1913 to promote recreation and tourism in the region. Mining still continued in the area for most of the twentieth century, but after 1920 it was clearly in decline rather than on the rise. The narrow gauge lines branching out from Silverton began to consolidate and close, with all three gone by 1941. Outlying mining camps gradually emptied, leaving Silverton as the only town in the county. One of the most important new mining operations during these years was the Shenandoah-Dives Mining Company, which operated mines and a mill northeast of town along the Animas River. Starting in 1925, general manager Charles A. Chase guided the company in acquiring and consolidating old mines and claims, and in 1929 he built a new mill to process the ores. The company originally intended to produce gold and silver, but base metals such as copper, lead, and zinc helped it survive during the Great Depression and World War II. Demand for metals stopped after World War II, and the Shenandoah-Dives Mining Company shut down operations in 1953. The area’s mining production dropped to its lowest level since 1882, and the town’s population dropped below 1,000. The mill changed hands but continued to operate most years until the early 1990s. In the 1940s and 1950s, Hollywood studios used the Durango–Silverton railroad to film Westerns such as Across the Wide Missouri (1951). Passenger traffic started to increase as tourists were drawn to the line’s history and scenery. Passengers tripled from 12,000 in 1953 to 37,000 in 1962. In the mid-1960s the railroad started courting tourists more actively. The train started pulling straight into Silverton instead of backing in, and the rails were extended to Blair Street to deliver tourists directly into town. By the late 1970s, the line carried more than 120,000 passengers per year. As mining declined and tourism increased, Silverton’s history became one of its most valuable resources. In 1961 Silverton and the Durango–Silverton narrow gauge line were named National Historic Landmarks, and in 1964 the San Juan County Historical Society was established. Today In 1991 the Sunnyside Mine closed for good, marking the end of major mining operations around Silverton. Tourism became Silverton’s main industry. The Durango &amp; Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad (as the line was renamed in 1981), became just as vital to the town’s success as it had been a century before—only now it brought in tourists instead of hauling away ores. Visitors were attracted to Silverton by its history and its natural environment. The San Juan County Historical Society became a leader in preserving and promoting Silverton’s many historic sites. In 1996 Sunnyside Gold donated the Shenandoah-Dives Mill to the historical society, which reopened it as a museum. In 2000, it was named a National Historic Landmark. In 2009, the historical society took over the Silverton Standard &amp; the Miner to secure the future of the oldest continuously published newspaper on the Western Slope. The historical society also operates the Mining Heritage Center and the 1902 County Jail Museum in Silverton. It hopes to reconstruct the Silverton Northern Railroad for tourist trips to Howardsville. The Silverton area’s mining history continues to affect its natural environment. Old mines in the region experience acid mine drainage, in which a yellow-orange slurry of toxic metals flows into nearby water sources. In August 2015, the problem received widespread attention when Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) workers at the Gold King Mine accidentally released 3 million gallons of contaminated wastewater that turned the Animas River mustard yellow as it flowed south to Durango and beyond. The incident spurred local officials to reverse traditional opposition to federal help and request EPA Superfund site designation to help clean up the area’s abandoned mines. In September 2016, the EPA placed the Gold King Mine and forty-seven other nearby mining sites on its National Priorities List for Superfund cleanup. Despite the scars that mining has left on the landscape, the stunning natural beauty and ample recreation opportunities near Silverton continue to draw tourists and outdoor enthusiasts who enjoy driving, four-wheeling, cycling, hiking, kayaking, and skiing. Soon after the closure of the Sunnyside Mine, mountain runners in the region organized the Hardrock Hundred Endurance Run as a celebration of the area’s mining history. Starting and finishing in Silverton, the 100-mile run takes place annually in July and is widely regarded as one of the toughest and most scenic ultramarathons in the world."><strong>William Jackson Palmer</strong></a>’s Denver &amp; Rio Grande Railway established <strong>Durango</strong>, and tracks reached the new town in July 1881. Almost immediately, workers started on the final forty-five-mile stretch to Silverton, using parts of the Animas River wagon road for the railroad’s route. The first train reached Silverton on July 8, 1882. Passenger service started on July 11, and trains hauled their first ore on July 13. The railroad opened a new era in San Juan County by improving transportation, decreasing the cost of living, attracting new investments, and making large-scale mining profitable.</p> <h2>Mining Years</h2> <p>The arrival of the railroad marked the start of an extended mining boom in Silverton and the rest of San Juan County. The district’s production was only $97,000 the year the railroad arrived, but it more than quadrupled to $400,000 the next year. Silverton’s population soon doubled to 2,000. By 1885 the district’s production reached $1 million per year, and in the 1890s, it hit more than $2 million. From 1882 to 1918, the San Juan mining district produced more than $65 million in ores.</p> <p>Gold had first attracted attention to the San Juans in the 1860s and 1870s, but in the 1880s and early 1890s, the district rode the wave of silver that was also lifting towns such as <strong>Leadville</strong> and <strong><a href="/article/aspen">Aspen</a>. </strong>When the <strong>Panic of 1893</strong> knocked out silver mining across Colorado, the Silverton area suffered as well. Unlike many other mining districts in Colorado however, it was able to recover and even increase production thanks to its deep reserves of gold and other minerals.</p> <p>The town became the transportation hub of the region, with three short narrow gauge lines branching up river valleys to connect outlying mines to the Denver &amp; Rio Grande at Silverton. In 1888–89, <strong>Otto Mears</strong> built the Silverton Railroad north up Mineral Creek to Red Mountain. Ten years later, the Gold King Consolidated Mines Company built the Silverton, Gladstone &amp; Northerly up Cement Creek to the <strong>Gold King Mine</strong>. Starting in the 1880s, the Silverton Northern inched up the Animas River until it reached Animas Forks in 1904.</p> <h2>From Mining to Tourism</h2> <p>Silverton’s long mining boom ended in the 1910s. Perhaps the clearest sign of a shift was the organization of the Silverton Commercial Club in 1913 to promote recreation and tourism in the region. Mining still continued in the area for most of the twentieth century, but after 1920 it was clearly in decline rather than on the rise. The narrow gauge lines branching out from Silverton began to consolidate and close, with all three gone by 1941. Outlying mining camps gradually emptied, leaving Silverton as the only town in the county.</p> <p>One of the most important new mining operations during these years was the <a href="/article/shenandoah-dives-mining-company"><strong>Shenandoah-Dives Mining Company</strong></a>, which operated mines and a mill northeast of town along the Animas River. Starting in 1925, general manager Charles A. Chase guided the company in acquiring and consolidating old mines and claims, and in 1929 he built a new mill to process the ores. The company originally intended to produce gold and silver, but base metals such as copper, lead, and zinc helped it survive during the Great Depression and World War II. Demand for metals stopped after World War II, and the Shenandoah-Dives Mining Company shut down operations in 1953. The area’s mining production dropped to its lowest level since 1882, and the town’s population dropped below 1,000. The mill changed hands but continued to operate most years until the early 1990s.</p> <p>In the 1940s and 1950s, Hollywood studios used the Durango–Silverton railroad to film Westerns such as <em>Across the Wide Missouri</em> (1951). Passenger traffic started to increase as tourists were drawn to the line’s history and scenery. Passengers tripled from 12,000 in 1953 to 37,000 in 1962. In the mid-1960s the railroad started courting tourists more actively. The train started pulling straight into Silverton instead of backing in, and the rails were extended to Blair Street to deliver tourists directly into town. By the late 1970s, the line carried more than 120,000 passengers per year.</p> <p>As mining declined and tourism increased, Silverton’s history became one of its most valuable resources. In 1961 Silverton and the Durango–Silverton narrow gauge line were named National Historic Landmarks, and in 1964 the San Juan County Historical Society was established.</p> <h2>Today</h2> <p>In 1991 the Sunnyside Mine closed for good, marking the end of major mining operations around Silverton. Tourism became Silverton’s main industry. The Durango &amp; Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad (as the line was renamed in 1981), became just as vital to the town’s success as it had been a century before—only now it brought in tourists instead of hauling away ores.</p> <p>Visitors were attracted to Silverton by its history and its natural environment. The San Juan County Historical Society became a leader in preserving and promoting Silverton’s many historic sites. In 1996 Sunnyside Gold donated the <strong>Shenandoah-Dives Mill</strong> to the historical society, which reopened it as a museum. In 2000, it was named a National Historic Landmark. In 2009, the historical society took over the <em>Silverton Standard &amp; the Miner</em> to secure the future of the oldest continuously published newspaper on the Western Slope. The historical society also operates the <strong>Mining Heritage Center</strong> and the 1902 County Jail Museum in Silverton. It hopes to reconstruct the Silverton Northern Railroad for tourist trips to Howardsville.</p> <p>The Silverton area’s mining history continues to affect its natural environment. Old mines in the region experience <strong>acid mine drainage</strong>, in which a yellow-orange slurry of toxic metals flows into nearby water sources. In August 2015, the problem received widespread attention when Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) workers at the Gold King Mine accidentally released 3 million gallons of contaminated wastewater that turned the Animas River mustard yellow as it flowed south to Durango and beyond. The incident spurred local officials to reverse traditional opposition to federal help and request EPA Superfund site designation to help clean up the area’s abandoned mines. In September 2016, the EPA placed the Gold King Mine and forty-seven other nearby mining sites on its National Priorities List for Superfund cleanup.</p> <p>Despite the scars that mining has left on the landscape, the stunning natural beauty and ample recreation opportunities near Silverton continue to draw tourists and outdoor enthusiasts who enjoy driving, four-wheeling, cycling, hiking, kayaking, and skiing. Soon after the closure of the Sunnyside Mine, mountain runners in the region organized the <strong>Hardrock Hundred Endurance Run</strong> as a celebration of the area’s mining history. Starting and finishing in Silverton, the 100-mile run takes place annually in July and is widely regarded as one of the toughest and most scenic ultramarathons in the world.</p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> Wed, 01 Feb 2017 21:17:57 +0000 yongli 2287 at http://coloradoencyclopedia.org Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad http://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/durango-silverton-narrow-gauge-railroad <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--encyclopedia-article.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Durango &amp; Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: x field--node--field-article-image--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-article-image.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-article-image.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--field-article-image--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div id="carouselEncyclopediaArticle" class="carousel slide" data-bs-ride="true"> <div class="carousel-inner"> <div class="carousel-item active"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * node--2057--article-detail-image.html.twig * node--2057.html.twig x node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig * node--image.html.twig * node--article-detail-image.html.twig * node.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/content/node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-encyclopedia-image--image.html.twig * field--node--field-encyclopedia-image.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--field-encyclopedia-image.html.twig * field--image.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-encyclopedia-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image_formatter' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-formatter.html.twig' --> <a href="/image/durango-silverton-narrow-gauge-train"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image_style' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-style.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image.html.twig' --> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/wide/public/Durango-and-Silverton-Media-1_0.jpg?itok=XOqCbpaU" width="1000" height="587" alt="" typeof="foaf:Image" class="image-style-wide" /> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-style.html.twig' --> </a> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-formatter.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="carousel-caption d-none d-md-block"> <h5><a href="/image/durango-silverton-narrow-gauge-train" rel="bookmark"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--image.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Durango &amp; Silverton Narrow Gauge Train</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> </a></h5> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--image.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--body.html.twig x field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--text-with-summary.html.twig' --> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Constructed by the Denver &amp; Rio Grande Railway in 1881–82, the narrow gauge line from Durango to Silverton climbs nearly 3,000 feet in 45 miles. It was built to carry ore from mines in the San Juan Mountains, but now the scenic route is a major tourist attraction.</p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--text-with-summary.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/content/node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig' --> </div> <div class="carousel-item"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * node--2061--article-detail-image.html.twig * node--2061.html.twig x node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig * node--image.html.twig * node--article-detail-image.html.twig * node.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/content/node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-encyclopedia-image--image.html.twig * field--node--field-encyclopedia-image.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--field-encyclopedia-image.html.twig * field--image.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-encyclopedia-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image_formatter' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-formatter.html.twig' --> <a href="/image/durango-depot"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image_style' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-style.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image.html.twig' --> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/wide/public/Durango%20and%20Silverton%20Media%202_0_0.jpg?itok=dMR7-Za7" width="1024" height="612" alt="" typeof="foaf:Image" class="image-style-wide" /> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-style.html.twig' --> </a> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-formatter.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="carousel-caption d-none d-md-block"> <h5><a href="/image/durango-depot" rel="bookmark"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--image.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Durango Depot</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> </a></h5> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--image.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--body.html.twig x field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--text-with-summary.html.twig' --> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Instead of building a station at the existing town of Animas City along the Animas River, the Denver &amp; Rio Grande established its own town, called Durango, two miles to the south. Durango became the base for the railroad's final push to reach Silverton.</p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--text-with-summary.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/content/node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig' --> </div> <div class="carousel-item"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * node--2063--article-detail-image.html.twig * node--2063.html.twig x node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig * node--image.html.twig * node--article-detail-image.html.twig * node.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/content/node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-encyclopedia-image--image.html.twig * field--node--field-encyclopedia-image.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--field-encyclopedia-image.html.twig * field--image.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-encyclopedia-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image_formatter' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-formatter.html.twig' --> <a href="/image/animas-canyon"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image_style' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-style.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image.html.twig' --> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/wide/public/Durango-and-Silverton-Media-3_0.jpg?itok=UJSx2oDn" width="1090" height="833" alt="" typeof="foaf:Image" class="image-style-wide" /> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-style.html.twig' --> </a> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-formatter.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="carousel-caption d-none d-md-block"> <h5><a href="/image/animas-canyon" rel="bookmark"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--image.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Animas Canyon</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> </a></h5> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--image.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--body.html.twig x field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--text-with-summary.html.twig' --> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>To build the railroad through the Animas Canyon to Silverton, workers had to blast a shelf in the canyon wall high above the river.</p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--text-with-summary.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/content/node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig' --> </div> <div class="carousel-item"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * node--2064--article-detail-image.html.twig * node--2064.html.twig x node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig * node--image.html.twig * node--article-detail-image.html.twig * node.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/content/node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-encyclopedia-image--image.html.twig * field--node--field-encyclopedia-image.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--field-encyclopedia-image.html.twig * field--image.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-encyclopedia-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image_formatter' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-formatter.html.twig' --> <a href="/image/highline-above-animas-river"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image_style' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-style.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image.html.twig' --> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/wide/public/Durango-and-Silverton-Media-4_0.jpg?itok=jkQcjjpo" width="1000" height="665" alt="" typeof="foaf:Image" class="image-style-wide" /> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-style.html.twig' --> </a> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-formatter.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="carousel-caption d-none d-md-block"> <h5><a href="/image/highline-above-animas-river" rel="bookmark"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--image.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Highline Above the Animas River</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> </a></h5> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--image.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--body.html.twig x field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--text-with-summary.html.twig' --> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>The shelf above the Animas River, known as the Highline, has been a favorite spot for photographs of the train since its earliest years.</p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--text-with-summary.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/content/node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig' --> </div> <div class="carousel-item"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * node--2065--article-detail-image.html.twig * node--2065.html.twig x node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig * node--image.html.twig * node--article-detail-image.html.twig * node.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/content/node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-encyclopedia-image--image.html.twig * field--node--field-encyclopedia-image.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--field-encyclopedia-image.html.twig * field--image.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-encyclopedia-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image_formatter' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-formatter.html.twig' --> <a href="/image/silverton-depot"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image_style' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-style.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image.html.twig' --> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/wide/public/Durango-and-Silverton-Media-5_0.jpg?itok=On2ZI2pm" width="1000" height="665" alt="" typeof="foaf:Image" class="image-style-wide" /> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-style.html.twig' --> </a> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-formatter.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="carousel-caption d-none d-md-block"> <h5><a href="/image/silverton-depot" rel="bookmark"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--image.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Silverton Depot</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> </a></h5> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--image.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--body.html.twig x field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--text-with-summary.html.twig' --> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>The first train rolled into Silverton in July 1882, less than a year after construction started north from Durango. Today the train remains vital to Silverton's economy, bringing in hundreds of thousands of tourists per year.</p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--text-with-summary.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/content/node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig' --> </div> </div> <button class="carousel-control-prev" type="button" data-bs-target="#carouselEncyclopediaArticle" data-bs-slide="prev"> <span class="carousel-control-prev-icon" aria-hidden="true"></span> <span class="visually-hidden">Previous</span> </button> <button class="carousel-control-next" type="button" data-bs-target="#carouselEncyclopediaArticle" data-bs-slide="next"> <span class="carousel-control-next-icon" aria-hidden="true"></span> <span class="visually-hidden">Next</span> </button> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--field-article-image--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--uid--encyclopedia-article.html.twig x field--node--uid.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--uid.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'username' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/user/username.html.twig' --> <span lang="" about="/users/yongli" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="">yongli</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/user/username.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--created--encyclopedia-article.html.twig x field--node--created.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'time' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/time.html.twig' --> <time datetime="2016-11-18T15:13:02-07:00" title="Friday, November 18, 2016 - 15:13" class="datetime">Fri, 11/18/2016 - 15:13</time> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/time.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'addtoany_standard' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * addtoany-standard--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * addtoany-standard--node.html.twig x addtoany-standard.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'modules/contrib/addtoany/templates/addtoany-standard.html.twig' --> <span class="a2a_kit a2a_kit_size_32 addtoany_list" data-a2a-url="http://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/durango-silverton-narrow-gauge-railroad" data-a2a-title="Durango &amp; Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad"><a class="a2a_dd addtoany_share" href="https://www.addtoany.com/share#url=http%3A%2F%2Fcoloradoencyclopedia.org%2Farticle%2Fdurango-silverton-narrow-gauge-railroad&amp;title=Durango%20%26%20Silverton%20Narrow%20Gauge%20Railroad"></a><a class="a2a_button_facebook"></a><a class="a2a_button_twitter"></a><a class="a2a_button_email"></a></span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'modules/contrib/addtoany/templates/addtoany-standard.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--body.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item" id="id-body"><p>Rising about 2,800 feet over its famously scenic forty-five-mile route, the Durango &amp; Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad was originally built in 1881–82 as part of the <strong>Denver &amp; Rio Grande Railway</strong>’s effort to reach the mines of the <a href="/article/san-juan-mountains"><strong>San Juan Mountains</strong></a>. For decades the line hauled ore from <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/silverton-0"><strong>Silverton</strong></a><strong> </strong>down to smelters in <strong>Durango</strong>, but after World War II its business shifted to tourism. Now operated by American Heritage Railways, it continues to be a major tourist attraction in southwest Colorado and has been named both a National Historic Landmark and a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Mining the San Juans</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>Large-scale mining began in the San Juan Mountains after the 1873 <a href="/article/brunot-agreement"><strong>Brunot Agreement</strong></a> removed the Ute Indians from the area. The remote and rugged region had rich ores but limited transportation access, making the shipment of those ores slow and expensive. To tap this potentially lucrative market, in 1880 <a href="/article/william-jackson-palmer-0"><strong>William Jackson Palmer</strong></a>’s Denver &amp; Rio Grande Railway started to build the narrow gauge <strong>San Juan Extension</strong> west from the <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/san-luis-valley"><strong>San Luis Valley</strong></a>. At the time, narrow gauge lines were relatively common in the Colorado mountains because they had rails that were only three feet apart, allowing for tighter curves, cheaper construction, and more efficient operation than the standard gauge of four feet, eight and a half inches. The railroad forged a route over <strong>Cumbres Pass</strong> to Chama, New Mexico, and then west through the <strong>Southern Ute Reservation</strong> to reach the <a href="/article/animas-river"><strong>Animas River</strong></a>, with the ultimate goal of reaching Silverton.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Originally the Denver &amp; Rio Grande planned to have a station in Animas City, a small farming and ranching town that served as a supply depot for San Juan miners. When the railroad was approaching Animas City in 1880, however, the town rejected the railroad’s requests. Following a pattern that it had used elsewhere, the railroad decided to establish its own town, called Durango, two miles south of Animas City, and locate its station there. The town site was surveyed in September 1880. By the end of the year Durango had 2,000 residents—more than six times as many as Animas City, which became a small suburb of the booming railroad town until the two finally merged in 1948.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Building from Durango to Silverton</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>In July 1881, the Denver &amp; Rio Grande reached Durango and almost immediately started building the final forty-five-mile stretch up the Animas River to Silverton. The railroad had already acquired the Animas Canyon Toll Road, built a few years earlier to connect Animas City to Silverton, and used parts of the road for its route. Grading started in August, and by October track was being laid north from Durango. The first eighteen miles to Rockwood were relatively easy and had been completed by late November.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>After Rockwood, however, the route left the wide valley and entered the steep, narrow Animas Canyon, making construction more difficult. It was also more expensive, with costs reportedly reaching tens of thousands of dollars per mile. In some places the crew had to blast the canyon walls to create a narrow rock shelf for the tracks. With 500 mostly Chinese and Irish workers rushing to complete the line, the grading operations reached Silverton in late spring 1882.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Silverton eagerly anticipated its rail connection to the outside world, which promised to inaugurate a long boom in the local mining economy. On June 27, 1882, Silverton residents heard their first train whistle from a work train about three and a half miles away. A large celebration to welcome the railroad was held on July 4, even though the rails still fell two miles short of their goal. The first construction train finally rolled into Silverton on July 8, passenger service started on July 11, and trains hauled their first ore on July 13, less than a year after work on the line started in Durango.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Profits and Problems</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>The Denver &amp; Rio Grande line from Durango to Silverton lowered freight rates by more than half, which had its expected effect on the local economy. Silverton’s population soon doubled to 2,000. Mining boomed, with <a href="/article/san-juan-county"><strong>San Juan County</strong></a> reaching $1 million in production in 1885. Over the next two decades, three other narrow gauge lines—the Silverton Line, the Silverton Northern, and the Silverton, Gladstone and Northerly—branched out from Silverton to nearby mining districts. These connections helped spur production in the Silverton area, which hit $3.6 million in 1920.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>A variety of natural disasters and human events have conspired to close the rail line from Durango to Silverton, but so far none have succeeded. The route’s remote location and rugged terrain make it susceptible to<a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/flooding-colorado"><strong> floods</strong></a>, avalanches, and rock slides. <a href="/article/snow"><strong>Snow</strong></a> damaged the line in 1905, 1916, and 1928; rocks slid onto the track in 1951; and floods wreaked havoc in 1909, 1911, and 1927. The October 1911 flood was especially severe, with the railroad losing much of its track. The Denver &amp; Rio Grande appealed to famed roadbuilder <a href="/article/otto-mears"><strong>Otto Mears</strong></a> for help, and with his assistance the track was repaired before the onset of winter.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>From Ore to Tourists</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>The railroad could afford to invest in maintenance and repairs as long as the San Juan mines continued their output, but production peaked in 1920 and declined thereafter. In the 1920s, the narrow gauge lines branching out from Silverton began to consolidate and close; all three were gone by 1941. Meanwhile, passenger rail travel began to drop off as people turned to automobiles and airplanes. By the 1930s, the construction of new highway routes and the 1929 opening of the Durango Municipal Airport meant the railroad was no longer the primary method of getting to and from Silverton. All these changes ate away at the profits of the Silverton line.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>After World War II, the line started a slow transformation from hauling ore to hauling tourists. The line gained publicity in the 1940s and 1950s, when Hollywood studios used it to film Westerns such as <em>Across the Wide Missouri</em> (1951). At the same time, the line’s passenger traffic started to grow. Tourists and railroad enthusiasts increased passengers on the line from 3,500 in 1947 to more than 12,000 in 1953. In 1961 the Durango–Silverton line was named a National Historic Landmark, and in 1962 it attracted more than 37,000 passengers during the summer season.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Despite the rise in traffic, the Denver &amp; Rio Grande Western (as the Denver &amp; Rio Grande was known after 1920) remained somewhat ambivalent about the tourist business because it was hoping to sell or abandon the costly and remote Silverton line. In 1962, when the Interstate Commerce Commission denied the railroad’s request to abandon the route, the Denver &amp; Rio Grande Western embraced tourism and started to remake the line to better accommodate tourists. Under the direction of Alexis McKinney, the line was modernized with heavier steel rails; trains added gondola cars for sightseeing, and baggage cars were converted to snack bars. In Durango, the depot was renovated and nearby blocks were turned into a Victorian-style shopping district. In Silverton the train started pulling straight into town instead of backing in, and the rails were extended to Blair Street to deliver tourists directly into town.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Even though the rest of the San Juan Extension from <strong>Antonito</strong> to Durango was abandoned in 1968, the isolated branch from Durango to Silverton kept running because of its strong tourist business. In fact, its success helped inspire the opening of the <strong>Cumbres &amp; Toltec Scenic Railroad</strong> in 1971 on a section of the old San Juan Extension route over Cumbres Pass. A flood in September 1970 destroyed more than five miles of the Silverton line’s track, but after repairs the line’s popularity continued to grow. By the late 1970s, it carried more than 120,000 passengers per year.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Today</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>Not wanting to keep running an orphaned line far from its other operations, in the late 1970s the Denver &amp; Rio Grande Western started a serious search for a buyer. The company found the Florida businessman Charles Bradshaw Jr., who had the money, ability, and interest to acquire the Silverton line and maintain it at a high standard. In March 1981 the sale was announced during Durango’s centennial celebration. The line took on a new name, the Durango &amp; Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, and added more trains in the summer as well as a few trains in the winter.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>The Durango &amp; Silverton Narrow Gauge has proved especially popular among railroad enthusiasts. The line is one of the only surviving narrow gauge routes in the US, and it is prized for keeping that piece of American railroading history alive. The Durango turntable, which dates to 1923, is among the oldest known narrow gauge turntables in the world. The Durango roundhouse, built in 1990 after a fire destroyed the original, is the only known narrow gauge roundhouse to be constructed since 1906.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>After Silverton’s last remaining mine, the Sunnyside, closed in the early 1990s, the town became more dependent on tourism than ever before. Ironically, the train became just as important to the town’s economic survival as when it first arrived in 1882, except now it carried tourists instead of carting away ore.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>In 1997 Bradshaw sold the Durango &amp; Silverton Narrow Gauge to a Florida-based entertainment-rail company called First American Railways. First American’s ownership was rocky from the start, with rate increases and other changes provoking fear and distrust in Durango and Silverton. After one year, First American sold the Durango &amp; Silverton line to real estate developer and railroad enthusiast Allen Harper. Harper’s company, American Heritage Railways, continues to operate the railroad today.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Still one of southwest Colorado’s major tourist attractions, the Durango &amp; Silverton Narrow Gauge is often considered among the most scenic train rides in the country and even the world. It draws hundreds of thousands of passengers per year. Because of the railroad’s booming tourist business, more daily trains depart Durango today than at the height of the mining boom a century ago.</p>&#13; </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-author--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-author.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-author.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-author field--type-entity-reference field--label-above" id="id-field-author"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-author">Author</div> <div class='field__items'> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-author"><a href="/author/encyclopedia-staff" hreflang="und">Encyclopedia Staff</a></div> </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-keyword--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-keyword.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-keyword.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-keyword field--type-entity-reference field--label-above" id="id-field-keyword"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-keyword">Keywords</div> <div class='field__items'> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/denver-rio-grande-railroad" hreflang="en">denver &amp; rio grande railroad</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/durango" hreflang="en">Durango</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/durango-silverton-railroad" hreflang="en">durango silverton railroad</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/silverton" hreflang="en">Silverton</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/william-jackson-palmer" hreflang="en">william jackson palmer</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/colorado-railroads" hreflang="en">Colorado Railroads</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/narrow-gauge-railroads" hreflang="en">narrow gauge railroads</a></div> </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'links__node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * links--node.html.twig x links--inline.html.twig * links--node.html.twig * links.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/navigation/links--inline.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/navigation/links--inline.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-references-html--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-references-html.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-references-html.html.twig * field--text-long.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-references-html field--type-text-long field--label-above" id="id-field-references-html"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-references-html">References</div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-references-html"><p>Joseph S. Mendinghall, “Durango-Silverton Narrow Gauge Line,” National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form (May 7, 1976).</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Doris B. Osterwald, <em>Cinders and Smoke: A Mile by Mile Guide for the Durango &amp; Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad</em>, 8th ed. (Hugo, CO: Western Guideways, 2001).</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Robert T. Royem, <em>An American Classic: The Durango &amp; Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad</em> (Durango, CO: Limelight Press, 1995).</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Duane A. Smith, <em>Durango &amp; Silverton Narrow Gauge: A Quick History</em> (Ouray, CO: Western Reflections, 1998).</p>&#13; </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-additional-information-htm--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-additional-information-htm.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-additional-information-htm.html.twig * field--text-long.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-additional-information-htm field--type-text-long field--label-above" id="id-field-additional-information-htm"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-additional-information-htm">Additional Information</div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-additional-information-htm"><p><a href="https://www.durangotrain.com/">Durango &amp; Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad &amp; Museum</a></p>&#13; &#13; <p>Duane Smith, <em>A Legendary Line: Silverton to Durango</em> (Ouray, CO: Western Reflections, 1999).</p>&#13; </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-4th-grade--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-4th-grade.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-4th-grade.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-4th-grade field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item" id="id-field-4th-grade"><p>The Durango &amp; Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad was built in 1881–82. It was part of the <strong>Denver &amp; Rio Grande Railway</strong>. For many years the railway line hauled ore from <strong>Silverton </strong>down to <strong>Durango</strong>. After World War II, its business shifted to tourism. It is now operated by American Heritage Railway and is a tourist attraction in southwest Colorado. It has been named both a National Historic Landmark and a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Mining in the San Juan Mountains</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>Mining started in the San Juan Mountains after 1873. This area had rich ores—rock that contains valuable metals like gold and silver—but poor transportation made the shipment of those ores slow and costly. In 1880 <strong>William Jackson Palmer</strong>’s Denver &amp; Rio Grande Railway started to build the narrow gauge <strong>San Juan Extension</strong> west from the <strong>San Luis Valley</strong>. The railroad built a route over <strong>Cumbres Pass</strong> to Chama, New Mexico, and then west through the <strong>Southern Ute Reservation</strong> to reach the <strong>Animas River</strong>. The goal was to reach Silverton.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>At first the Denver &amp; Rio Grande planned to have a station in Animas City. It was a small farming and ranching town that was a supply store for San Juan miners. When the railroad was approaching Animas City in 1880, the town turned down the railroad’s request. The railroad decided to start its own town, called Durango, two miles south of Animas City, and locate its station there. The town site was mapped out in September 1880. By the end of the year Durango had 2,000 residents. Animas City later became a small suburb of Durango until the two united in 1948.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Building from Durango to Silverton</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>In July 1881, the Denver &amp; Rio Grande reached Durango. It then started building the final 45-mile tract up the Animas River to Silverton. The first eighteen miles to Rockwood were fairly easy and had been completed by late November.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>After Rockwood, the route entered the steep, narrow Animas Canyon. It made construction much more difficult. It also cost much more to build. Five hundred workers, mostly Chinese and Irish, rushed to complete the line.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>On June 27, 1882, Silverton citizens heard their first train whistle from a work train about three and a half miles away. On July 4, the town held a large celebration to welcome the railroad. Passenger service started on July 11. Trains hauled their first ore on July 13.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>From Hauling Ore to Hauling Tourists</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>In the 1920s and after, the output from the mines dropped and hauling ore fell off. Modern forms of transportation cut passenger travel as well.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>After World War II, the line started a slow change from hauling ore to hauling tourists. The line gained popularity in the 1940s and 1950s, when Hollywood studios used it to film Westerns. Tourists and railroad fans caused a rise in the number of riders from 3,500 in 1947 to more than 12,000 in 1953. In 1961 the Durango–Silverton line was named a National Historic Landmark. In 1962 it drew more than 37,000 passengers during the summer season.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>The rest of the San Juan Extension from Antonito to Durango was left in 1968. The branch from Durango to Silverton kept running because of its strong tourist business. By the late 1970s, it carried more than 120,000 passengers each year.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Today</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>In the late 1970s the Denver &amp; Rio Grande Western sold the Silverton line to a Florida businessman, Charles Bradshaw, Jr. The sale was announced during Durango’s centennial celebration in March 1981. The line took on a new name, the Durango &amp; Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. It added more trains in the summer as well as a few trains in the winter.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>The Durango &amp; Silverton Narrow Gauge has proved very popular among railroad fans. The line is one of the only surviving narrow gauge routes in the United States. It is valued for keeping that piece of American railroad history alive. The Durango turntable was built in 1923 and is one of the oldest known narrow gauge turntables in the world. The Durango roundhouse was built in 1990 after a fire destroyed the original. It is the only known narrow gauge roundhouse to be built since 1906.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>In 1998 the Durango &amp; Silverton line was sold to real estate developer and railroad fan Allen Harper. Harper’s company is American Heritage Railways, and it operates the railroad today.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>The Durango &amp; Silverton Narrow Gauge is believed to be among the most scenic train rides in the country and even the world. It draws hundreds of thousands of passengers each year. More daily trains depart Durango today than at the height of the mining boom a century ago.</p>&#13; </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-8th-grade--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-8th-grade.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-8th-grade.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-8th-grade field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item" id="id-field-8th-grade"><p>The Durango &amp; Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad was originally built in 1881–82 as part of the <strong>Denver &amp; Rio Grande Railway</strong>’s effort to reach the rich mines of the <strong>San Juan Mountains</strong>. For decades, the line hauled ore from <strong>Silverton </strong>down to <strong>Durango</strong>, but after World War II its business shifted to tourism. It continues to be a major tourist attraction in southwest Colorado and has been named both a National Historic Landmark and a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Tapping the San Juan Mines</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>Mining started in the San Juan Mountains after the 1873 <strong>Brunot Agreement</strong> opened the area to settlement. The region had rich ores but limited transportation access and no railroads. It made the shipment of those ores slow and expensive. In 1880 <strong>William Jackson Palmer</strong>’s Denver &amp; Rio Grande Railway started to build the narrow gauge <strong>San Juan Extension</strong> west from the <strong>San Luis Valley</strong> to take advantage of a profitable market. At the time, narrow gauge lines were relatively common in the Colorado mountains because they had rails that were only three feet apart. This allowed for tighter curves, cheaper construction, and more efficient operation than the standard gauge. The railroad built a route over <strong>Cumbres Pass</strong> to Chama, New Mexico. It then went west through the <strong>Southern Ute Reservation</strong> to reach the <strong>Animas River</strong>, with the goal of reaching Silverton.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Originally, the Denver &amp; Rio Grande planned to have a station in Animas City, a small farming and ranching town that served as a supply depot for San Juan miners. But when the railroad was approaching Animas City in 1880, the town rejected the railroad’s requests. The railroad decided to establish its own town, called Durango, two miles south of Animas City, and locate its station there. The town site was surveyed in September 1880. By the end of the year Durango had 2,000 residents. Animas City became a small suburb of Durango until the two finally merged in 1948.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Building from Durango to Silverton</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>In July 1881, the Denver &amp; Rio Grande reached Durango and almost immediately started building the final 45-mile stretch up the Animas River to Silverton. Grading started in August, and by October track was being laid north from Durango. The first eighteen miles to Rockwood were relatively easy and were completed by late November.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>After Rockwood, however, the route left the wide valley and entered the steep, narrow Animas Canyon, making construction much more difficult and expensive, with costs reportedly reaching tens of thousands of dollars per mile. In some places the crew had to blast the canyon walls to create a narrow rock shelf for the tracks. With 500 mostly Chinese and Irish workers rushing to complete the line, the grading operations reached Silverton in late spring 1882.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Silverton eagerly awaited its rail connection to the outside world. On June 27, 1882, Silverton residents heard their first train whistle from a work train about three and a half miles away. The town held a large celebration to welcome the railroad on July 4, but even then the rails were still two miles short of their goal. The first construction train finally rolled into Silverton on July 8, and passenger service started on July 11. Trains hauled their first ore on July 13, less than a year after work on the line started in Durango.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Profits and Problems</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>The Denver &amp; Rio Grande line from Durango to Silverton lowered freight rates by more than half, which had a positive effect on the local economy. Silverton’s population soon doubled to 2,000. Mining boomed as <strong>San Juan County</strong> reached $1 million in production in 1885. Over the next two decades, three other narrow gauge lines—the Silverton Line, the Silverton Northern, and the Silverton, Gladstone and Northerly—branched out from Silverton to nearby mining districts. These connections helped spur production in the Silverton area, which hit $3.6 million in 1920.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>The rail line from Durango to Silverton has endured a variety of challenges from human as well as natural events. The route’s remote location and rugged terrain put it at risk for floods, avalanches, and rock slides. <strong>Snow</strong> damaged the line in 1905, 1916, and 1928; rocks slid onto the track in 1951; and floods caused disaster in 1909, 1911, and 1927. The October 1911 flood was especially harsh, wiping out much of the railroad’s track. The Denver &amp; Rio Grande asked the famous roadbuilder <strong>Otto Mears</strong> for help. With his assistance, the track was repaired before winter.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>From Hauling Ore to Hauling Tourists</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>The railroad could afford to invest in maintenance and repairs as long as the San Juan mines continued their steady output. Production peaked in 1920 and declined thereafter. By 1941, the three narrow gauge lines branching out from Silverton were gone. Meanwhile, passenger rail travel began to drop off as people turned to automobiles and airplanes. All these changes lessened the profits of the Silverton line.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>After World War II, the line started a slow change from hauling ore to hauling tourists. The line gained publicity in the 1940s and 1950s, when Hollywood studios used it to film Westerns such as <em>Across the Wide Missouri</em> (1951). At the same time, the line’s passenger traffic started to increase. Tourists and railroad fans contributed to a passenger increase from 3,500 in 1947 to more than 12,000 in 1953. In 1961 the Durango–Silverton line was named a National Historic Landmark. In 1962 it attracted more than 37,000 passengers during the summer season.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Despite the rise in traffic, the Denver &amp; Rio Grande Western (as the Denver &amp; Rio Grande was known after 1920) remained somewhat unsure about the tourist business. It was hoping to sell or desert the costly and remote Silverton line. In 1962 the Interstate Commerce Commission denied the railroad’s request to abandon the route. After that, the Denver &amp; Rio Grande Western started to remake the line to offer tourists better service. The line was modernized with heavier steel rails, trains added tourist-friendly gondola cars for sightseeing, and baggage cars were converted to snack bars. In Durango the depot was renovated and nearby blocks were turned into a Victorian-style shopping district. In Silverton the train started pulling straight into town.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Even though the rest of the San Juan Extension from <strong>Antonito</strong> to Durango was abandoned in 1968, the isolated branch from Durango to Silverton kept running. Its success helped inspire the opening of the <strong>Cumbres &amp; Toltec Scenic Railroad</strong> in 1971 on a section of the old San Juan Extension route over Cumbres Pass. By the late 1970s, it carried more than 120,000 passengers per year.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Today</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>In the late 1970s the Denver &amp; Rio Grande Western started a serious search for a buyer. The company found a Florida businessman, Charles Bradshaw, Jr. The sale was announced during Durango’s centennial celebration in March 1981. The line took on a new name, the Durango &amp; Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, and added more trains in the summer as well as a few trains in the winter.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>The Durango &amp; Silverton Narrow Gauge has proved especially popular among railroad fans because it is one of the only surviving narrow gauge routes in the United States. The Durango turntable, which dates to 1923, is among the oldest known narrow gauge turntables in the world. The Durango roundhouse, built in 1990 after a fire destroyed the original, is the only known narrow gauge roundhouse to be built since 1906.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>After Silverton’s last remaining mine closed in the early 1990s, the town became more dependent on tourism than ever before. The train became just as important to the town’s economic survival as when it first arrived in 1882, except now it carried tourists instead of ore.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>In 1998 Bradshaw sold the Durango &amp; Silverton Narrow Gauge to real estate developer and railroad supporter Allen Harper. Harper’s company, American Heritage Railways, continues to operate the railroad today.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Still one of southwest Colorado’s major tourist attractions, the Durango &amp; Silverton Narrow Gauge is often considered among the most scenic train rides in the country and even the world. It draws hundreds of thousands of passengers per year. Because of the railroad’s booming tourist business, more daily trains depart Durango today than at the height of the mining boom a century ago.</p>&#13; </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-10th-grade--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-10th-grade.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-10th-grade.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-10th-grade field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item" id="id-field-10th-grade"><p>The Durango &amp; Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad was originally built in 1881–82 as part of the <strong>Denver &amp; Rio Grande Railway</strong>’s effort to reach the rich mines of the <strong>San Juan Mountains</strong>. For decades, the line hauled ore from <strong>Silverton </strong>down to <strong>Durango</strong>, but after World War II its business shifted to tourism. It continues to be a major tourist attraction in southwest Colorado and has been named both a National Historic Landmark and a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Tapping the San Juan Mines</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>Mining started in the San Juan Mountains after the 1873 <strong>Brunot Agreement</strong> opened the area to settlement. The remote and rugged region had rich ores but limited transportation access and no railroads. This made the shipment of those ores slow and expensive. To tap this market, in 1880 <strong>William Jackson Palmer</strong>’s Denver &amp; Rio Grande Railway started to build the narrow gauge <strong>San Juan Extension</strong> west from the <strong>San Luis Valley</strong>. At the time, narrow gauge lines were relatively common in the Colorado mountains. They had rails that were only three feet apart, allowing for tighter curves, cheaper construction, and more efficient operation than the standard gauge. The railroad forged a route over <strong>Cumbres Pass</strong> to Chama, New Mexico, and then west through the <strong>Southern Ute Reservation</strong> to reach the <strong>Animas River</strong>, with the goal of reaching Silverton.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Originally, the Denver &amp; Rio Grande planned to have a station in Animas City, a small farming and ranching town that served as a supply depot for San Juan miners. But when the railroad was approaching Animas City in 1880, the town rejected the railroad’s requests. The railroad decided to establish its own town, called Durango, two miles south of Animas City, and locate its station there. The town site was surveyed in September 1880. By the end of the year Durango had 2,000 residents—more than six times as many as Animas City, which became a small suburb of the booming railroad town until the two finally merged in 1948.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Building from Durango to Silverton</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>In July 1881, the Denver &amp; Rio Grande reached Durango and almost immediately started building the final forty-five-mile stretch up the Animas River to Silverton. Grading started in August, and by October track was being laid north from Durango. The first eighteen miles to Rockwood were relatively easy and had been completed by late November.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>After Rockwood, however, the route left the wide valley and entered the steep, narrow Animas Canyon, making construction much more difficult and expensive. Costs reportedly reached tens of thousands of dollars per mile. In some places the crew had to blast the canyon walls to create a narrow rock shelf for the tracks. With 500 workers—mostly Chinese and Irish—rushing to complete the line, the grading operations reached Silverton in late spring 1882.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Silverton eagerly awaited its rail connection to the outside world, which promised to begin a long boom in the local mining economy. On June 27, 1882, Silverton residents heard their first train whistle from a work train about three and a half miles away. The town held a large celebration to welcome the railroad on July 4, but even then the rails still fell two miles short of their goal. The first construction train finally rolled into Silverton on July 8, and passenger service started on July 11. Trains hauled their first ore on July 13, less than a year after work on the line started in Durango.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Profits and Problems</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>The Denver &amp; Rio Grande line from Durango to Silverton lowered freight rates by more than half, which had a positive effect on the local economy. Silverton’s population soon doubled to 2,000. Mining boomed, with <strong>San Juan County</strong> reaching $1 million in production in 1885. Over the next two decades, three other narrow gauge lines—the Silverton Line, the Silverton Northern, and the Silverton, Gladstone and Northerly—branched out from Silverton to nearby mining districts. These connections helped spur production in the Silverton area, which hit $3.6 million in 1920.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>The rail line from Durango to Silverton has endured a variety of human as well as natural events. The route’s remote location and rugged terrain put it at risk for floods, avalanches, and rock slides. Snow damaged the line in 1905, 1916, and 1928; rocks slid onto the track in 1951; and floods wreaked havoc in 1909, 1911, and 1927. The October 1911 flood was especially severe, wiping out much of the railroad’s track. The Denver &amp; Rio Grande appealed to famed roadbuilder <strong>Otto Mears</strong> for help, and with his assistance, the track was repaired before winter.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>From Hauling Ore to Hauling Tourists</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>The railroad could afford to invest in maintenance and repairs as long as the San Juan mines continued their steady output, but production peaked in 1920 and declined thereafter. The three narrow gauge lines branching out from Silverton were gone by 1941. Meanwhile, passenger rail travel began to drop off as people turned to automobiles and airplanes. By the 1930s, the construction of new highway routes and the 1929 opening of the Durango Municipal Airport meant that the railroad was no longer the primary method of getting to and from Silverton. All these changes ate away at the profits of the Silverton line.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>After World War II, the line started a slow transformation from hauling ore to hauling tourists. The line gained publicity in the 1940s and 1950s, when Hollywood studios used it to film Westerns such as <em>Across the Wide Missouri</em> (1951). At the same time, the line’s passenger traffic started to increase. Tourists and railroad enthusiasts created an increase in passengers on the line from 3,500 in 1947 to more than 12,000 in 1953. In 1961 the Durango–Silverton line was named a National Historic Landmark, and in 1962 it attracted more than 37,000 passengers during the summer season.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Despite the rise in traffic, the Denver &amp; Rio Grande Western (as the Denver &amp; Rio Grande was known after 1920) remained somewhat unsure about the tourist business because it was hoping to sell or abandon the costly and remote Silverton line. In 1962 the Interstate Commerce Commission denied the railroad’s request to abandon the route. After that, the Denver &amp; Rio Grande Western started to remake the line to better accommodate tourists. The line was modernized with heavier steel rails, trains added tourist-friendly gondola cars for sightseeing, and baggage cars were converted to snack bars. In Durango, the depot was renovated and nearby blocks were turned into a Victorian-style shopping district. In Silverton, the rails were extended to Blair Street so trains could unload tourists directly into town.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Even though the rest of the San Juan Extension from Antonito to Durango was abandoned in 1968, the isolated branch from Durango to Silverton kept running because of its strong tourist business. Its success helped inspire the opening of the <strong>Cumbres &amp; Toltec Scenic Railroad</strong> in 1971 on a section of the old San Juan Extension route over Cumbres Pass. By the late 1970s, it carried more than 120,000 passengers per year.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Today</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>In the late 1970s the Denver &amp; Rio Grande Western started a serious search for a buyer. The company found the Florida businessman Charles Bradshaw, Jr., who had the money, ability, and interest to acquire the Silverton line and maintain it at a high standard. The sale was announced during Durango’s centennial celebration in March 1981. The line took on a new name, the Durango &amp; Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, and added more trains in the summer as well as a few trains in the winter.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>The Durango &amp; Silverton Narrow Gauge has proved especially popular among railroad enthusiasts, as it is one of the only surviving narrow gauge routes in the United States. The Durango turntable, which dates to 1923, is among the oldest known narrow gauge turntables in the world. The Durango roundhouse, built in 1990 after a fire destroyed the original, is the only known narrow gauge roundhouse built since 1906.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>After Silverton’s last remaining mine closed in the early 1990s, the town became more dependent on tourism than ever. Ironically, the train became just as important to the town’s economic survival as when it first arrived in 1882, except now it brought in tourists instead of carrying away ore.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>In 1998 the Durango &amp; Silverton Narrow Gauge was sold to real estate developer and railroad enthusiast Allen Harper. Harper’s company, American Heritage Railways, continues to operate the railroad today.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Still one of southwest Colorado’s major tourist attractions, the Durango &amp; Silverton Narrow Gauge is considered among the most scenic train rides in the country and even the world. It draws hundreds of thousands of passengers per year. Because of the railroad’s booming tourist business, more daily trains depart Durango today than at the height of the mining boom a century ago.</p>&#13; </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> Fri, 18 Nov 2016 22:13:02 +0000 yongli 2058 at http://coloradoencyclopedia.org San Juan County http://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/san-juan-county <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--encyclopedia-article.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">San Juan County</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: x field--node--field-article-image--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-article-image.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-article-image.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--field-article-image--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div id="carouselEncyclopediaArticle" class="carousel slide" data-bs-ride="true"> <div class="carousel-inner"> <div class="carousel-item active"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * node--1723--article-detail-image.html.twig * node--1723.html.twig x node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig * node--image.html.twig * node--article-detail-image.html.twig * node.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/content/node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-encyclopedia-image--image.html.twig * field--node--field-encyclopedia-image.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--field-encyclopedia-image.html.twig * field--image.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-encyclopedia-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image_formatter' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-formatter.html.twig' --> <a href="/image/town-silverton"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image_style' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-style.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image.html.twig' --> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/wide/public/San_Juans_20160724_1273_0.jpg?itok=-NLXef9w" width="1000" height="667" alt="" typeof="foaf:Image" class="image-style-wide" /> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-style.html.twig' --> </a> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-formatter.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="carousel-caption d-none d-md-block"> <h5><a href="/image/town-silverton" rel="bookmark"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--image.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Town of Silverton</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> </a></h5> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--image.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--body.html.twig x field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--text-with-summary.html.twig' --> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>The town of Silverton,at an elevation of 9,318 feet along the <a href="/article/animas-river"><strong>Animas River</strong></a>, is the&nbsp;county seat and only incorporated town in San Juan County. It was established by prospectors&nbsp;in 1874, after the <a href="/article/brunot-agreement"><strong>Brunot Agreement</strong></a> forced Ute Indians from the area.</p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--text-with-summary.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/content/node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig' --> </div> <div class="carousel-item"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * node--1523--article-detail-image.html.twig * node--1523.html.twig x node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig * node--image.html.twig * node--article-detail-image.html.twig * node.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/content/node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-encyclopedia-image--image.html.twig * field--node--field-encyclopedia-image.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--field-encyclopedia-image.html.twig * field--image.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-encyclopedia-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image_formatter' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-formatter.html.twig' --> <a href="/image/san-juan-county"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image_style' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-style.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image.html.twig' --> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/wide/public/SanJuanCounty_0.jpg?itok=mnkV8Fqc" width="640" height="463" alt="" typeof="foaf:Image" class="image-style-wide" /> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-style.html.twig' --> </a> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-formatter.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="carousel-caption d-none d-md-block"> <h5><a href="/image/san-juan-county" rel="bookmark"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--image.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">San Juan County</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> </a></h5> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--image.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--body.html.twig x field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--text-with-summary.html.twig' --> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>San Juan County, once the heart of gold and silver mining in the San Juan Mountains, was established in 1876.</p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--text-with-summary.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/content/node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig' --> </div> <div class="carousel-item"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * node--1722--article-detail-image.html.twig * node--1722.html.twig x node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig * node--image.html.twig * node--article-detail-image.html.twig * node.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/content/node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-encyclopedia-image--image.html.twig * field--node--field-encyclopedia-image.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--field-encyclopedia-image.html.twig * field--image.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-encyclopedia-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image_formatter' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-formatter.html.twig' --> <a href="/image/san-juan-county-google-map"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image_style' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-style.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image.html.twig' --> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/wide/public/San_Juan_County_0.jpg?itok=3LO9AeXP" width="1001" height="804" alt="" typeof="foaf:Image" class="image-style-wide" /> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-style.html.twig' --> </a> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-formatter.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="carousel-caption d-none d-md-block"> <h5><a href="/image/san-juan-county-google-map" rel="bookmark"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--image.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">San Juan County on Google Map</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> </a></h5> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--image.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--body.html.twig x field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--text-with-summary.html.twig' --> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>San Juan County covers 388 square miles of the San Juan Mountains. US 550, the "Million Dollar Highway," is the main thoroughfare, and the county also contains the headwaters of the <a href="/article/animas-river"><strong>Animas River</strong></a>.&nbsp;</p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--text-with-summary.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/content/node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig' --> </div> <div class="carousel-item"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * node--1584--article-detail-image.html.twig * node--1584.html.twig x node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig * node--image.html.twig * node--article-detail-image.html.twig * node.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/content/node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-encyclopedia-image--image.html.twig * field--node--field-encyclopedia-image.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--field-encyclopedia-image.html.twig * field--image.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-encyclopedia-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image_formatter' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-formatter.html.twig' --> <a href="/image/lower-ice-lake-basin"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image_style' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-style.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image.html.twig' --> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/wide/public/Lower_Ice_Lake_Basin_0.jpg?itok=5yLp4_pT" width="1090" height="727" alt="" typeof="foaf:Image" class="image-style-wide" /> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-style.html.twig' --> </a> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-formatter.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="carousel-caption d-none d-md-block"> <h5><a href="/image/lower-ice-lake-basin" rel="bookmark"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--image.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Lower Ice Lake Basin</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> </a></h5> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--image.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--body.html.twig x field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--text-with-summary.html.twig' --> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Ice Lake Basin, located on the Ice Lake Trail in western <a href="/article/san-juan-county"><strong>San Juan County</strong></a>,&nbsp;is considered one of the most beautiful places in the <a href="/article/san-juan-mountains"><strong>San Juan Mountains</strong></a>. This photo shows Lower Ice Lake Basin in summer, bursting with wildflowers.</p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--text-with-summary.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/content/node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig' --> </div> <div class="carousel-item"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * node--1589--article-detail-image.html.twig * node--1589.html.twig x node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig * node--image.html.twig * node--article-detail-image.html.twig * node.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/content/node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-encyclopedia-image--image.html.twig * field--node--field-encyclopedia-image.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--field-encyclopedia-image.html.twig * field--image.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-encyclopedia-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image_formatter' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-formatter.html.twig' --> <a href="/image/grand-imperial-hotel"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image_style' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-style.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image.html.twig' --> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/wide/public/San_Juans_20160724_1111_0.jpg?itok=9qwHEmMZ" width="1000" height="615" alt="" typeof="foaf:Image" class="image-style-wide" /> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-style.html.twig' --> </a> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-formatter.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="carousel-caption d-none d-md-block"> <h5><a href="/image/grand-imperial-hotel" rel="bookmark"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--image.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Grand Imperial Hotel</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> </a></h5> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--image.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--body.html.twig x field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--text-with-summary.html.twig' --> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Completed in 1883, the Grand Hotel was one of the most luxurious hotels in the Southwest. The Harper family, owners of the <a href="/article/durango-silverton-narrow-gauge-railroad"><strong>Durango &amp; Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad</strong></a>, purchased the hotel in the spring of 2015. The family has completed restoration work on the building's thirty-seven rooms and is currently renovating the restaurant and lobby.</p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--text-with-summary.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/content/node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig' --> </div> <div class="carousel-item"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * node--764--article-detail-image.html.twig * node--764.html.twig x node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig * node--image.html.twig * node--article-detail-image.html.twig * node.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/content/node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-encyclopedia-image--image.html.twig * field--node--field-encyclopedia-image.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--field-encyclopedia-image.html.twig * field--image.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-encyclopedia-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image_formatter' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-formatter.html.twig' --> <a href="/image/animas-forks-late-1870s"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image_style' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-style.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image.html.twig' --> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/wide/public/Animas-Forks-Media-1_0.jpg?itok=zfzMCa-k" width="1000" height="594" alt="" typeof="foaf:Image" class="image-style-wide" /> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-style.html.twig' --> </a> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/image-formatter.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field.html.twig' --> <div class="carousel-caption d-none d-md-block"> <h5><a href="/image/animas-forks-late-1870s" rel="bookmark"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--image.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Animas Forks, Late 1870s</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--title.html.twig' --> </a></h5> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--image.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig * field--node--image.html.twig * field--body.html.twig x field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--text-with-summary.html.twig' --> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Established in 1875 at an elevation of about 11,200 feet, Animas Forks flourished in the late 1870s and early 1880s on the strength of speculative mining investments. It has been a ghost town since the 1920s.</p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--text-with-summary.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/content/node--image--article-detail-image.html.twig' --> </div> </div> <button class="carousel-control-prev" type="button" data-bs-target="#carouselEncyclopediaArticle" data-bs-slide="prev"> <span class="carousel-control-prev-icon" aria-hidden="true"></span> <span class="visually-hidden">Previous</span> </button> <button class="carousel-control-next" type="button" data-bs-target="#carouselEncyclopediaArticle" data-bs-slide="next"> <span class="carousel-control-next-icon" aria-hidden="true"></span> <span class="visually-hidden">Next</span> </button> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--field-article-image--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--uid--encyclopedia-article.html.twig x field--node--uid.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--uid.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'username' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/user/username.html.twig' --> <span lang="" about="/users/yongli" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="">yongli</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/user/username.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--created--encyclopedia-article.html.twig x field--node--created.html.twig * field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'time' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/time.html.twig' --> <time datetime="2016-06-27T15:27:29-06:00" title="Monday, June 27, 2016 - 15:27" class="datetime">Mon, 06/27/2016 - 15:27</time> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/time.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/field/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'addtoany_standard' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * addtoany-standard--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * addtoany-standard--node.html.twig x addtoany-standard.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'modules/contrib/addtoany/templates/addtoany-standard.html.twig' --> <span class="a2a_kit a2a_kit_size_32 addtoany_list" data-a2a-url="http://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/san-juan-county" data-a2a-title="San Juan County"><a class="a2a_dd addtoany_share" href="https://www.addtoany.com/share#url=http%3A%2F%2Fcoloradoencyclopedia.org%2Farticle%2Fsan-juan-county&amp;title=San%20Juan%20County"></a><a class="a2a_button_facebook"></a><a class="a2a_button_twitter"></a><a class="a2a_button_email"></a></span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'modules/contrib/addtoany/templates/addtoany-standard.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--body.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item" id="id-body"><p>San Juan County was established just before Colorado became a state in 1876. It initially stretched from the Utah border in the west to its present border in the east. The next year, the first state assembly allocated most of San Juan County’s western portion to the newly formed Ouray County, and San Juan County assumed its current boundaries.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Named after the <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/san-juan-mountains"><strong>mountains</strong></a> within its borders, San Juan County is a remote county covering 388 square miles in southwest Colorado. With an average elevation of 11,240 feet, it is the highest county in the United States. San Juan County is bordered to the north by <a href="/article/ouray-county"><strong>Ouray County</strong></a>, to the east by <a href="/article/hinsdale-county"><strong>Hinsdale County</strong></a>, to the south by <a href="/article/la-plata-county"><strong>La Plata County</strong></a>, and to the west by <a href="/article/dolores-county"><strong>Dolores</strong></a> and <a href="/article/san-miguel-county"><strong>San Miguel</strong></a> Counties. The county is among the state’s least populous, home to an estimated 701 residents as of 2015.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>As San Juan County’s only incorporated area, <a href="/article/silverton-0"><strong>Silverton</strong></a> is the county seat, lying just off US Route 550 at the confluence of the <a href="/article/animas-river"><strong>Animas River</strong></a> and Mineral Creek. The highway runs north-south and splits the county into eastern and western halves. Most of the county’s land is managed by the <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/us-forest-service-colorado"><strong>US Forest Service</strong></a> as part of the 1.8 million-acre San Juan National Forest.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Utes</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>By 1500 the Nuche, or <a href="/search/google/ute"><strong>Ute</strong></a> people, occupied nearly all of Colorado’s <a href="/article/rocky-mountains"><strong>Rocky Mountains</strong></a>. The San Juan County area was home to two bands of Utes: the Tabeguache (“people of Sun Mountain”), whose range extended north into the <strong>Uncompahgre</strong> and <a href="/article/gunnison-river"><strong>Gunnison</strong></a> Valleys and east to the <a href="/article/pikes-peak"><strong>Pikes Peak</strong></a> region; and the Weenuche (“long time ago people”), whose range included much of southwest Colorado, southeast Utah, and a slice of northern New Mexico.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>The Nuche lived off the natural wealth of Colorado’s mountains and river valleys, hunting <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/rocky-mountain-elk"><strong>elk</strong></a>, deer, and other game and gathering a wide assortment of wild berries and roots, including the versatile yucca root. In the summer they followed game into the high country, including the San Juan County area, and in the winter they followed the animals back to the lower river valleys. By the 1640s the Utes had obtained horses from the Spanish, an acquisition that augmented their nomadic lifestyles and allowed them to organize buffalo hunts on the plains.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>With the exception of the Nuche, who knew it well, the jagged and foreboding landscape of the San Juan County area was seldom traversed before the mid-nineteenth century when white prospectors encroached on their lands. The biggest obstacle to lasting peace between whites and Utes was the mineral wealth lying beneath the San Juans.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>The mining endeavors along the <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/front-range"><strong>Front Range</strong></a> prompted the US government to organize the <a href="/article/colorado-territory"><strong>Colorado Territory</strong></a> in 1861. That year, in an effort to stop the line of white prospectors from pushing farther west, Utes burned Animas City, the small cabin town of north of Durango that served as the staging point for prospecting parties. In 1868 the US government and several Ute bands, including the Tabeguache under <a href="/article/ouray"><strong>Chief Ouray</strong></a>, <a href="/article/ute-treaty-1868"><strong>signed a treaty</strong></a> that ceded the Front Range and central Rockies to the United States and left the Utes a vast reservation encompassing nearly the entire Western Slope.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>The “San Juan Humbug”</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>The prospector <strong>Charles Baker</strong> is regarded as the first white American to enter the San Juan County area. Baker arrived in Colorado during the <a href="/article/colorado-gold-rush"><strong>Colorado Gold Rush</strong></a> of 1858–59 only to find the best deposits already claimed. Determined to find his own cache of Rocky Mountain riches, Baker and a small party of gold seekers set out to southwest Colorado in 1860.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>After failing to find <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/precious-metal-mining-colorado"><strong>gold</strong></a> along the <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/gunnison-river"><strong>Gunnison River</strong></a>, they pushed into the San Juans. At a spot in the Animas River valley where multiple streams converged, a number of small deposits sufficiently whetted the prospectors’ mineral appetites. In October Baker came out of the mountains for supplies and to recruit more prospectors to the place he now called “Baker’s Park.” In mid-October Baker returned to the Animas Valley with 150 new prospectors. The newcomers had just enough time to scout out claims, pan for gold, and head back to the safety of lower elevations before the deep winter <a href="https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/snow"><strong>snows </strong></a>arrived.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Over the winter, news of the San Juan gold discovery raced across the Rockies to the Front Range, where the size of the find was greatly exaggerated. Hundreds more prospectors were enticed to make the trip to Baker’s Park the following spring. Knowing this, Baker and his group were anxious to return to the area first and headed up to the Animas Valley in April 1861. A group led by S. B. Kellogg had beaten them there, but Kellogg’s men followed frontier-mining etiquette and waited for the discoverer to arrive before staking their own claims.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>But once Baker arrived he did not immediately stake his claims, and the snow soon began to mount. As the weather worsened, it quickly became clear that all parties had made their ascent prematurely. Many in the camp began to seriously fear being trapped, and to avoid that fate—or a mutiny beforehand—Baker hastily staked his claims over what he remembered to be the best areas. The rest of the prospectors quickly staked their claims and made a rapid descent.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>In May and June 1861 about 600 miners flooded into Baker’s Park. With most of the good claims already staked by Baker and the others earlier that year, many of these prospectors came up empty-handed. In their frustration, some even contemplated hanging Baker, but most left in despair. Before the year ended, Baker, Kellogg, and the rest of the initial prospectors also left, finding the actual amount of gold to be far less than expected. The rapid sequence of discovery, hype, and bust in Baker’s Park produced so much discontent that it became known as the “San Juan Humbug.”</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Early Mining</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>The year 1870 brought an end to the lull in mining activity in the San Juan County area. In April a party led by Adnah French, Dempsey Reese, and Miles T. Johnson reoccupied some of the cabins of the burned-out Animas City. The group prepared to scout Baker’s Park for hardrock ore—the source of the nuggets that gave the gold-panning Baker party a taste for wild riches.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Within weeks French’s group found that gold source, which they began extracting via the Little Giant mine, as well as several veins of silver. The party left Baker’s Park late that summer, wintered in New Mexico, and returned in May 1871 to develop the Little Giant mine with the help of carpenters William J. Mulholland and Thomas Blair and the merchant James H. Cook. The team made the Little Giant into the first profitable mine in the San Juan County area.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>More successful strikes followed, and by the summer of 1872 gold and silver ore worth some $30,000 per ton was being carved out of the San Juans. The riches flowing out of the mountains prompted Colorado territorial governor Edward McCook to openly lament the 1868 treaty that barred nonnatives from the mountains. For its part, the US government responded by ordering miners to leave Ute lands, and even sent in troops to enforce the treaty. The miners, however, banded together before any conflict took shape and convinced the government to negotiate a new treaty that would take more land from the Utes.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Brunot Agreement</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>The <a href="/article/brunot-agreement"><strong>Brunot Agreement</strong></a> of 1873, also known as the San Juan Cession, cleared the way for present-day San Juan County by removing the people who had lived there for more than four centuries. The government coveted a rectangular chunk of the San Juan Mountains that measured 4 million acres and that included most of what is today southwest Colorado. In 1873 <strong>Felix R. Brunot</strong>, then-president of the US Board of Indian Commissioners, hatched a plot to find Ouray’s lost son Pahlone, believed to be in Arapaho possession, and trade him to the chief for the land.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Although Brunot’s men could not find Ouray’s son, at negotiations in September Ouray still wanted to provide for his wife and was impressed enough by Brunot’s effort that he agreed to sell the San Juans to the United States. The river valleys suitable for farming were supposed to remain in Ute possession, but the final agreement was struck along lines of latitude and longitude—a concept the Utes were not familiar with—so the United States got all 4 million acres. The government paid the Utes seven and a half cents per acre, a poor deal considering that it simultaneously charged white homesteaders $1.25 per acre for other, grossly inferior land. Following the <a href="/article/meeker-incident"><strong>Meeker Incident</strong></a>, a Ute uprising in northwest Colorado, most of the state’s Ute population was expelled to a reservation in Utah by 1882.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>County Development</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>Silverton was established in 1874 as one of dozens of mining camps that sprung up in the San Juans during the mid-1870s. As the center of regional mining activity, Silverton developed quickly in the early 1880s. The first church was built in 1881. Its future as a viable town, much less as county seat, was anything but certain. In fact, the territorial legislature initially gave the county seat to a rival camp, Howardsville. But the first Silverton residents convinced the owners of a smelter and sawmill to set up shop, and those key services turned Silverton into a hub for San Juan County miners. Its residents went a step further and organized an election to redetermine the county seat. Silverton won, snatching the county seat from a dwindling Howardsville in 1874.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>North of Silverton, the small town of <a href="/article/animas-forks"><strong>Animas Forks</strong></a> grew out of a cluster of cabins when it gained a US post office in 1875. The Dakota and San Juan Mining Company built a mill the next year, and the town soon had three general stores, a butcher, restaurant, a saloon, and two boardinghouses.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Additional smelters built in 1874 proved to be woefully inefficient, extracting only a paltry amount of metal from the county’s rich ore. A combination of inadequate smelters and rich silver strikes elsewhere in the state staved off investment in San Juan County mines until 1875. That year, metallurgist John A. Porter refitted and improved the smelter owned by Greene &amp; Company, one of the early developers of Silverton. Soon, a second smelter was in operation, and with its revived smelting capacity the county was almost ready for its long-awaited boom. The final piece was the arrival of the <strong>Denver &amp; Rio Grande Railroad</strong>, which connected Silverton to the smelters in Durango in 1882.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Mining Boom</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>Mining activity had already increased after the smelters were fixed; for instance, Leadville silver baron <a href="/article/horace-tabor"><strong>Horace Tabor</strong></a> purchased several San Juan County mines in 1879. But the railroad galvanized production because it drastically reduced the costs of shipping ore to smelters and metal to market. In 1882 productive mines opened on Sultan Mountain just southwest of Silverton, forming the prosperous Mineral Creek District. Other productive mines were set up on Kendall Mountain southeast of Silverton and in the Eureka District to the northeast. By 1886 there were 102 mines in San Juan County, double the amount in 1882. In 1882 county mines produced $53,000 in silver, $10,000 in gold, and $16,000 in lead, but by 1885 those values had climbed to $749,000 in silver, $40,000 in gold, and $207,000 in lead.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>At this time San Juan County was also the main entry point to the mines of the Red Mountain District in neighboring Ouray County; the town of Chattanooga, which was formed through the merger of two mining camps in northern San Juan County, supplied the district. In 1882 metallurgist Cushing M. Bryant opened Bryant’s Mining Exchange, a business center that served the area’s mining investors, and in 1883 the San Juan County Bank was chartered as the First National Bank of Silverton. Silverton also became the cultural center of the San Juans, featuring thirty saloons, two dance halls, a community performance and celebration house, and several men’s and women’s clubs.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Bust and Recovery</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>In 1887 the miner Olaf A. Nelson located and staked the Gold King claim north of Silverton on the north fork of Cement Creek. The <strong>Gold King Mine</strong>, one of the richest in San Juan County history, began operating in 1893. The Gold King had scarcely begun operations when the Silver Panic of 1893 caused the price of silver to drop to an all-time low of seventy-eight cents per ounce. The initial effect on the San Juan County economy was devastating—nearly 1,000 of the county’s 1,600 people lost their jobs.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>But by 1896, as most Colorado mining regions failed or languished in economic depression, several factors allowed San Juan County to make a miraculous recovery. First, the remaining mines, especially the largest ones, were still producing enough ore to keep local and regional smelters in business. Second, that ore was exceptionally rich, often containing both gold and silver. Finally, the county’s wealthiest investors, such as mine owner Edward G. Stoiber and road builder <a href="/article/otto-mears"><strong>Otto Mears</strong></a>, poured large sums of capital into mine expansion, road maintenance, and railroad construction in order to keep their operations viable. The result of all this was a dramatic increase in production in 1896. By then several shuttered mines had reopened and existing mines such as the Gold King had expanded. That year the county produced a remarkable $1.5 million in silver, $909,000 in gold, and $169,000 in lead.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Though it was subject to ups and downs, mining remained the most important part of the San Juan County economy through the beginning of the twentieth century. By the end of World War I, county mines had produced more than $60 million in gold, silver, copper, lead, and zinc.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Labor Strife</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>The mining revival led to an uptick in the San Juan County population by 1900, but not all of the county’s 2,342 residents were content. Workers in the mines, smelters, and mills worked grueling, ten-hour shifts in dangerous conditions, and by the late nineteenth century many joined unions that lobbied for higher wages and a shorter workday. The county narrowly avoided a wave of strikes occurring across the state in 1899, but in 1907 tensions between miners and mine owners resurfaced as the economy dipped again. Budget-wary mine owners looked to cut labor costs, but miners threatened to strike and won a three-dollar, eight-hour workday.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Labor strife returned to the county in 1939, when Charles Chase—owner of the <a href="/article/shenandoah-dives-mining-company"><strong>Shenandoah-Dives</strong></a>, the county’s largest mine—sought concessions from his workforce. Miners and mill workers refused and shut down the mine with a strike in June. But Chase’s company was backed by wealthy investors, which allowed him to wait out the strike. The summer-long strike ended in a stalemate, as workers voted to return to work with no concessions.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Mining continued in San Juan County through World War II but began tapering off in the 1960s. The county’s last significant mine, the American Tunnel, closed in 1991.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Durango-Silverton Railroad</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>In addition to being the primary carrier of San Juan County ore, the Denver &amp; Rio Grande Railroad line connecting Durango and Silverton was promoted as a tourist route from its opening in 1882. The railroad persevered through multiple economic and natural challenges, having to reduce service during the 1890s depression and reorganize following government control during World War I. In addition, the line traversed some of the most challenging terrain in the Rocky Mountains and had to constantly contend with rockslides, <a href="/article/avalanche"><strong>avalanches</strong></a>, and blizzards. After World War II the railroad was in danger of folding, but staff turned its promotional efforts toward tourism, and Hollywood directors shot a number of films along the route, including the 1956 film <em>Around the World in 80 Days</em>. During the 1980s, the railroad replaced more than 10,000 ties and began weathering its cars for winter use. The Durango-Silverton Railroad remains a major attraction today, with vintage, coal-fired locomotives carrying trainloads of tourists year-round through the majestic scenery of the San Juans.</p>&#13; &#13; <h2>Today</h2>&#13; &#13; <p>Though it is the main tourist attraction, San Juan County’s natural environment continues to struggle with the toxic legacy of mining. Mining exposes mineral-laden rock to oxygen, facilitating a chemical process in which metals liquefy and leech into local watercourses. This process, known as <strong>Acid Mine Drainage</strong>, has been occurring in San Juan County mines since they opened and continues to cause problems today. In August 2015 workers for the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) accidentally released some 3 million gallons of contaminated water from the abandoned Gold King Mine into the Animas River, coloring huge stretches of the river a metal-tainted orange. Even though the EPA caused the spill, Silverton and San Juan County officials voted in February 2016 to pursue EPA Superfund status in order to clean up forty-six mines and two settlement areas in the county. Even though it now has the county’s approval, the EPA will need to conduct research for several years before cleanup can begin.</p>&#13; </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-author--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-author.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-author.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-author field--type-entity-reference field--label-above" id="id-field-author"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-author">Author</div> <div class='field__items'> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-author"><a href="/author/encyclopedia-staff" hreflang="und">Encyclopedia Staff</a></div> </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-keyword--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-keyword.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-keyword.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-keyword field--type-entity-reference field--label-above" id="id-field-keyword"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-keyword">Keywords</div> <div class='field__items'> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/san-juan-county" hreflang="en">san juan county</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/gold-king-mine" hreflang="en">gold king mine</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/animas-river" hreflang="en">Animas River</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/silverton" hreflang="en">Silverton</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/durango-silverton-railroad" hreflang="en">durango silverton railroad</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/san-juan-mountains" hreflang="en">San Juan Mountains</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/mining" hreflang="en">mining</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/charles-baker" hreflang="en">charles baker</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/san-juan-humbug" hreflang="en">san juan humbug</a></div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-keyword"><a href="/keyword/otto-mears" hreflang="en">Otto Mears</a></div> </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'links__node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * links--node.html.twig x links--inline.html.twig * links--node.html.twig * links.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/navigation/links--inline.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/contrib/bootstrap_barrio/templates/navigation/links--inline.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-references-html--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-references-html.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-references-html.html.twig * field--text-long.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-references-html field--type-text-long field--label-above" id="id-field-references-html"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-references-html">References</div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-references-html"><p>Waldo Butler, <em>Mountain Mysteries: The Ouray Odyssey </em>(Cortez, CO: Ouray Chamber of Commerce, 1981).</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Durango &amp; Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad &amp; Museum, “<a href="https://www.durangotrain.com/history/">Train History</a>,” n.d.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Grace Hood, “<a href="https://www.cpr.org/news/newsbeat/after-years-opposition-silverton-oks-superfund-plan">After Years of Opposition, Silverton Oks Superfund Plan</a>,” Colorado Public Radio, February 23, 2016.</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Paul M. O’Rourke, <em>Frontier in Transition: A History of Southwestern Colorado</em> (Denver: Bureau of Land Management, Colorado State Office, 1992).</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Virginia McConnell Simmons, <em>The Ute Indians of Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico </em>(Boulder: University Press of Colorado, 2000).</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Eric Twitty, “<a href="https://www.historycolorado.org/sites/default/files/files/OAHP/crforms_edumat/pdfs/655.pdf">Historic Mining Resources of San Juan County, Colorado</a>,” US Department of the Interior, National Park Service Form 10-900b (Denver: History Colorado, 2010).</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Bill Wehrum, “<a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/salvaging-a-lesson-from-the-animas-river-spill-1441841582">Salvaging a Lesson From the Animas River Spill</a>,” <em>Wall Street Journal</em>, September 9, 2015.</p>&#13; </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-additional-information-htm--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--node--field-additional-information-htm.html.twig x field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig * field--field-additional-information-htm.html.twig * field--text-long.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-additional-information-htm field--type-text-long field--label-above" id="id-field-additional-information-htm"> <div class="field__label" id="id-field-additional-information-htm">Additional Information</div> <div class="field__item" id="id-field-additional-information-htm"><p><a href="https://sanjuancounty.colorado.gov/index.html">San Juan County</a></p>&#13; &#13; <p>Duane A. Smith, <em>San Juan Bonanza: Western Colorado’s Mining Legacy </em>(Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 2006).</p>&#13; &#13; <p>Duane A. Smith, <em>The Trail of Gold and Silver: Mining in Colorado, 1859–2009 </em>(Boulder: University Press of Colorado).</p>&#13; &#13; <p><a href="https://www.colorado.gov/townofsilverton">Town of Silverton</a></p>&#13; &#13; <p>Karen A. Vendl and Mark A. Vendl, <em>Mines Around Silverton </em>(Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing, 2015).</p>&#13; </div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/encyclopedia/templates/field/field--node--encyclopedia-article.html.twig' --> Mon, 27 Jun 2016 21:27:29 +0000 yongli 1522 at http://coloradoencyclopedia.org